Chia is a species that has been described as being tolerant to water stress, but its ecological adaptative responses to water deficits are unknown. The effect of water availability on the performance of chia cultivated at three irrigation levels (100%, 70%, and 40% of the reference evapotranspiration) was evaluated under field conditions. The growth and leaf-water relation traits of the plants were measured using pressure–volume curves (PVCs) and vapor pressure osmometry to estimate the water potential at the turgor loss point, relative water content, symplast volume, osmotic potential at maximum turgor, elasticity modulus of cell walls, and the leaf water potential and its components. The results indicated that chia plants adjust their physiological traits under water stress and suggested that they maintain turgor by decreasing both the water potential at the point of turgor loss and the solute potential to maintain functionality. This osmotic adjustment capacity in chia reached a maximum value of 0.5 MPa near the harvest stage. These adjustments allowed Salvia hispanica to maintain its growth and stomatal conductance at a water stress level of 70% of the reference evapotranspiration. Under water stress at 40% of the reference evapotranspiration, independent of these trait adjustments, chia growth virtually stopped, and its stomatal conductance approached zero. Under these conditions, chia experienced stomatal closure at a leaf water potential (− 1.55 MPa) that was higher than the water potential at the point of turgor loss (~ − 3.0 MPa). It is concluded that chia is able to perform osmotic adjustment and that this process interacts with another series of variables that allow chia to adapt to drought stress.

Chia 是一种被描述为对水分胁迫具有耐受性的物种，但其对缺水的生态适应性反应尚不清楚。在田间条件下评估了可用水量对在三个灌溉水平（参考蒸发量的 100%、70% 和 40%）下栽培的奇亚籽性能的影响。使用压力-体积曲线 (PVC) 和蒸汽压渗透法测量植物的生长和叶水关系性状，以估计膨胀损失点的水势、相对含水量、共质体体积、最大膨胀时的渗透势、弹性细胞壁的模量、叶水势及其成分。结果表明，奇亚植物在水分胁迫下会调整其生理性状，并表明它们通过降低膨胀损失点的水势和维持功能的溶质势来保持膨胀。奇亚籽的这种渗透调节能力在收获期附近达到最大值 0.5 MPa。这些调整允许Salvia hispanica在参考蒸发量的 70% 的水分胁迫水平下保持其生长和气孔导度。在 40% 的参考蒸发量的水分胁迫下，独立于这些性状调整，奇亚籽的生长几乎停止，其气孔导度接近于零。在这些条件下，奇亚籽在叶水势 (- 1.55 MPa) 下经历气孔关闭，该水势高于膨胀损失点的水势 (~ - 3.0 MPa)。结论是奇亚籽能够进行渗透调节，并且这个过程与另一系列允许奇亚籽适应干旱胁迫的变量相互作用。