Response of Nitraria tangutorum and Artemisia sphaerocephala seedling membrane permeability and membrane protection system to different duration times of wind-sand flow

Nitraria tangutorum and Artemisia sphaerocephala are widely distributed psammophytes in arid desert areas, where the frequency and intensity of wind-sand flow are high. Investigating the physiological response of N. tangutorum and A. sphaerocephala to stress caused by wind-sand flow is significantly important to understand the mechanism of wind-sand flow resistance of plants in sandy areas. In this study, using wind tunnel simulation test, the two plants were stressed under 12 m·s⁻¹ wind-sand flow for 0, 10, 20, and 30 min. Then, two indices—leaf membrane permeability and membrane protection—were determined. The results showed that with the increase of wind-sand flow blowing, in N. tangutorum, malonaldehyde (MDA) and soluble protein (SP) decreased, membrane permeability decreased first and then increased, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities increased simultaneously under 10 and 30 min stress, and Peroxidase (POD), soluble sugar (SS), and proline (Pro) contents increased, which prevented membrane lipid peroxidation in N. tangutorum. In contrast, in A. sphaerocephala, MDA content decreased first and then increased, SP was significantly reduced (P < 0.05), CAT activity significantly increased under 20 min stress (P < 0.05), membrane permeability and POD activity increased, and Pro increased slightly under the 20 and 30 min stress, which played a major role in reducing cell membrane damage.