Amelioration of drought-induced negative responses by elevated CO2 in field grown short rotation coppice mulberry (Morus spp.), a potential bio-energy tree crop.

Present study describes the responses of short rotation coppice (SRC) mulberry, a potential bio-energy tree, grown under interactive environment of elevated CO2 (E) and water stress (WS). Growth in E stimulated photosynthetic performance in well-watered (WW) as well as during WS with significant increases in light-saturated photosynthetic rates (A Sat), water use efficiency (WUEi), intercellular [CO2], and photosystem-II efficiency (F V/F M and ∆F/F M') with concomitant reduction in stomatal conductance (g s) and transpiration (E) compared to ambient CO2 (A) grown plants. Reduced levels of proline, H2O2, and malondialdehyde (MDA) and higher contents of antioxidants including ascorbic acid and total phenolics in WW and WS in E plants clearly demonstrated lesser oxidative damage. Further, A plants showed higher transcript abundance and antioxidant enzyme activities under WW as well as during initial stages of WS (15 days). However, with increasing drought imposition (30 days), A plants showed down regulation of antioxidant systems compared to their respective E plants. These results clearly demonstrated that future increased atmospheric CO2 enhances the photosynthetic potential and also mitigate the drought-induced oxidative stress in SRC mulberry. In conclusion, mulberry is a potential bio-energy tree crop which is best suitable for short rotation coppice forestry-based mitigation of increased [CO2] levels even under intermittent drought conditions, projected to prevail in the fast-changing global climate.