Morphological and physiological adaptations underpin drought resilience in contrasting populations of annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum).

Roshell Warnakulasuriya, Babar Shahzad, Muhammad Adnan, Aakansha Chadha, Muhammad Farooq, Ali Ahsan Bajwa

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Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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6 authors.

Roshell WarnakulasuriyaLa Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food (LISAF), Department of Ecological, Plant and Animal Sciences, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, AgriBio, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Babar ShahzadLa Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food (LISAF), Department of Ecological, Plant and Animal Sciences, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, AgriBio, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Muhammad AdnanLa Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food (LISAF), Department of Ecological, Plant and Animal Sciences, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, AgriBio, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Aakansha ChadhaCentre for eResearch and Digital Innovation, Federation University, Mount Helen, VIC, Australia.

Muhammad FarooqDepartment of Plant Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.

Ali Ahsan BajwaLa Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food (LISAF), Department of Ecological, Plant and Animal Sciences, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, AgriBio, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. A.Bajwa@latrobe.edu.au.ORCID 0000-0002-7171-3118

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6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud.) is the most problematic weed in Australian grain cropping systems. This study investigated the biological responses of its two contrasting populations under five moisture regimes ranging from 100% to 12.5% of soil water holding capacity (WHC) in a glasshouse. Moderate moisture limitation (50-75% WHC) enhanced vegetative growth, particularly in the resistant population, where leaf number and tillering increased by up to 132% and 153%, respectively, compared with saturated conditions (100% WHC). Severe drought (12.5-25% WHC) reduced plant height by 35-38% and caused up to 64% and 90% reductions in shoot and root fresh weights, respectively. Root length increased by 20% under moderate moisture limitation but declined under severe stress. The resistant population exhibited greater phenological plasticity, reflected by stronger shifts in flowering timing under moisture stress (35% earlier), and maintained higher (6%) relative water content than the susceptible population. Reproductive traits including spikelets production and spike length peaked under moderate moisture limitation, whereas severe drought reduced seed production by 30-50%. The susceptible population produced more seeds under favorable conditions, while the resistant population showed more stable reproductive performance under stress. Overall, strong ecological plasticity highlights the adaptive capacity of this species and underscores the need for population-specific integrated weed management strategies.

Indexed as

Adaptation, PhysiologicalDroughtsLoliumAustraliaDrought ResistancePlant LeavesPlant RootsSoilStress, PhysiologicalWaterSoilWaterAnnual ryegrassPhysiological regulationStress toleranceWeed adaptationWeed biology

Identifiers

PMID42527449

DOI10.1038/s41598-026-61108-2

PMCPMC13421499

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND

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