PJB-2017-647
EVALUATION OF GENETIC VARIABILITY AND IDENTIFICATION OF CONTRASTING MAIZE (Zea mays L.) PARENTS UNDER DROUGHT STRESS
Javeria Ramzan
Abstract
Water stress is the major abiotic stress which reduce the crop yield. In plant breeding from the available germplasm screening of tolerant accessions is the basic step. Maize is the 2nd most important crop of world and unfortunately it is drought sensitive. Due to the uncontrolled conditions, interaction of biotic and abiotic stresses and variability in environmental factors screening in field has uncertainties. Response of sixty maize accessions to drought stress at seedling stage was examined by using three water stress treatments. Normal and drought stress treatments i.e. T80% (Control), T60% and T40% of the field capacity. Completely randomized design with three replications were used. To evaluate the response of maize accessions under normal and water stress treatments root fresh and dry weight, root and shoot length, shoot fresh and dry weight, root-shoot ratio, leaf temperature, stomatal conductance, cell membrane thermos-stability, chlorophyll a and b contents, carotenoid contents, proline contents and ascorbic acid contents were determined. Principal component analysis was used to select the drought tolerant and sensitive accessions. The accessions 15327, 14927, 19179, 19203, 15158, 15334, 19191, 15280, 15188 and 15139 were taken as drought tolerant while the accessions 15066, 15091, 15064, 24669, 15268 and 15104 were observed as drought sensitive. This study may be helpful for the identification of drought tolerant maize cultivars to be used in further breeding programs.
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