Phoebe bournei commonly called nanmu is an important and endemic wood species in China, and its planting, nursing, and preserving are often affected by drought stress. Two-year-old P. bournei seedlings were subjected to water stress and recovery treatment to study their physiological and biochemical responses. Physiological and biochemical indices did not change when seedlings were subjected to mild water stress (˂15 days of water withholding). As drought stress intensified (>20 days of water withholding), malondialdehyde and electrolyte leakage increased, and chlorophyll and soluble protein decreased, indicating an increased oxidative stress induced by water deficit. Enhanced activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POX), accumulation of free proline and total soluble sugar contribute to plant protection against the oxidative stress. However, SOD and POX decreased when seedlings were subjected to an extended drought. After 5 days of recovery, physiological and biochemical indices were not restored to the control level values except for leaf relative water content when the seedlings were subjected to more than 20 days water stress. These results demonstrate that P. bournei could enhance their ability to mitigate water stress effects by up-regulating antioxidant system and osmotic adjustment, but these two protective mechanisms were limited when seedlings were subjected to moderate and severe water stress. The threshold of water deficit to P. bournei seedlings is 15–20 days, and permanent damage will be induced if water status is not improved before this threshold. The results will provide some theoretical and practical guidance for nanmu afforestation and production.
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