Zinc (Zn) is involved in plant growth and stress resistance and is known to increase crop yield. Here, we investigated the effect of Zn on water absorption in the roots of maize (Zea mays L.), a crop which is sensitive to Zn deficiency, during water stress conditions. Seedlings of the maize variety “Zhengdan 958” were cultivated with 0.1 or 6 μM ZnSO₄·7H₂O. To simulate drought stress, three-week-old seedlings were exposed to 15% polyethylene glycol (PEG). Root growth parameters, root antioxidant enzyme activity, root hydraulic conductivity, root aquaporin gene expression, root and leaf anatomy structure, leaf water potential, chlorophyll content, leaf area, and gas exchange parameters were measured. Under water stress, moderate Zn treatment promoted root growth; maintained root and leaf anatomy structural integrity. Moderate Zn significantly increased roots hydraulic conductivity (51%) and decreased roots antioxidant enzyme activity (POD: −11.1%, CAT: −35.1%, SOD: −3.1%) compared with low-level Zn under water stress. The expression of ZmPIP1;1, ZmPIP1;2, and ZmPIP2;2 was significantly higher with moderate Zn treatment than that of low-level Zn treatment. The leaf water potential, chlorophyll content, leaf area, and gas exchange parameters with moderate Zn treatment increased significantly under water stress compared with low-level Zn treatment. The moderate concentration of Zn improved root hydraulic conductivity in maize and increased resistance to simulated drought conditions by maintaining root structural integrity, decreasing antioxidant enzyme activity, and increasing aquaporin gene expression. Moderate Zn application increased root water absorption and leaf transpiration, thereby maintaining maize water balance under water stress conditions.

锌（Zn）参与植物的生长和抗逆性，已知会增加农作物的产量。在这里，我们研究了锌对水分胁迫条件下对锌缺乏症敏感的玉米（玉米（Zea mays L.））根系中水分吸收的影响。的玉米品种“郑单958”幼苗用0.1或6中培养μ中号的ZnSO ₄ ·7H ₂O.为了模拟干旱胁迫，将三周大的幼苗暴露于15％的聚乙二醇（PEG）中。测量了根生长参数，根抗氧化酶活性，根水力传导率，根水通道蛋白基因表达，根和叶的解剖结构，叶水势，叶绿素含量，叶面积和气体交换参数。在水分胁迫下，适量的锌处理促进了根的生长。保持根和叶的解剖结构完整性。与水分胁迫下的低锌相比，中度锌显着提高了根系的水力传导率（51％），降低了根系抗氧化酶的活性（POD：-11.1％，CAT：-35.1％，SOD：-3.1％）。的表达1; ZmPIP1，ZmPIP1; 2，和ZmPIP2; 2适量的锌处理显着高于低水平的锌处理。与低水平的Zn处理相比，在适度的Zn处理下，叶片水势，叶绿素含量，叶面积和气体交换参数在水分胁迫下显着增加。适量的锌可通过保持根部结构完整性，降低抗氧化酶活性和增加水通道蛋白基因表达来改善玉米的根部水力传导率，并提高其对模拟干旱条件的抵抗力。适量施用锌可增加根系吸水和叶片蒸腾作用，从而在水分胁迫条件下保持玉米水分平衡。