The aim of this study was to explore the effects of variations in rainfall on the growth and C， N， P stoichiometric characteristics of Fraxinus malacophylla seedlings， which could provide a theoretical basis for the application of F. malacophylla seedlings in karst vegetation restoration. In this study， two-year-old F. malacophylla seedlings were used as materials， and the treatments with 40% increased rainfall， 40% reduced rainfall， natural rainfall， and 5- and 10-day rainfall intervals were set， and the responses of seedling biomass and C， N， P stoichiometric characteristics were investigated， respectively. The results showed that both extending the rainfall interval and reducing rainfall significantly inhibited biomass accumulation of seedlings， roots， stems， and leaves， whereas increasing rainfall had an opposite effect. Leaf C and P contents significantly increased（P<0.05）， whereas leaf N content significantly decreased under the increased rainfall（P<0.05）. Under the reduced rainfall， the contents of C， N， and P in roots， C and P in stems， C and N in leaves significantly decreased at a five-day rainfall interval（P<0.05）. The contents of C， N， and P in roots， stems， and leaves significantly decreased at a 10-day rainfall interval（P<0.05）. Under the conditions of reduced and natural rainfalls， the leaf N∶P ratio was greater than 16， indicating that the growth of seedlings was limited by P. Under the increased rainfall， the leaf N∶P ratio ranged from 14 to 16， indicating that the growth of seedlings was limited by both N and P. The above results revealed that F. malacophylla seedlings responded to rainfall changes by regulating the biomass accumulation and C， N， P stoichiometric characteristics in organs. The findings could provide a scientific basis for restoration of vegetation in Karst regions and for the cultivation and management of F. malacophylla.
%U https://bbr.nefu.edu.cn/EN/10.7525/j.issn.1673-5102.2025.05.005