Comparative analysis of the water regime of irises of the subgenus Xyridion

The article presents the results of an experimental assessment of the features of the water regime of 11 taxa of the genus Iris L. growing in the South-Ural Botanical Garden-Institute of Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The purpose of the work is to study and compare some features of the water regime of irises of the subgenus Xyridion with local species. The studies were carried out during the growing seasons of 2019-2022 using generally accepted physiological techniques (the method of saturation and artificial wilting). A detailed analysis of the daily and seasonal dynamics of three parameters of the water regime was made total water content, water-holding capacity, water deficit. Between the studied species, similarities and differences in the characteristics of the water regime were established, and the dependence of indicators on weather conditions was revealed. It was revealed that in the flora of the Republic of Bashkortostan there are species both with a wide range of variability in water-retaining capacity (I. pumila) and with a rather conservative one (I. pseudacorus, I. sibirica). Introduced taxa of Xyridion also adhere to one or another strategy, which can serve as an indicator of successful introduction. The study contributes to the identification of ecological and physiological adaptations of introduced species in comparison with native species, which can become the basis for assessing the prospects of cultivation in culture and the conservation of rare and endangered species.