PubMed · 2026-05-22
Young Yunnan pine seedlings can handle mild rocky desertification by boosting sugar reserves and adjusting mineral uptake, but moderate to severe soil degradation progressively shuts down growth and disrupts the tree's ability to balance nutrients and ions.
Seedling growth was maintained under mild rocky desertification but was progressively suppressed under moderate and severe conditions after 60 days of exposure.
Light stress triggered soluble sugar accumulation and an increased sugar-to-starch ratio, suggesting the tree actively shifts its carbohydrate strategy as an early stress buffer.
Under severe stress, potassium levels dropped significantly while calcium and magnesium accumulated in stems and needles, and sodium uptake was markedly restricted, indicating a breakdown in normal ion regulation.
