Drought Stress-induced Impact on Morpho-physiological Traits in Maize Landraces of Kashmir

Abstract

Background: Drought is the critical abiotic stress constraining the productivity of maize and lack of germplasm possessing drought tolerance results in low maize productivity in Kashmir. Because only 15% of the land in Kashmir Valley is irrigated and 85% of the land is rainfed, maize landrace evaluation for drought desirable traits becomes important. Methods: To identify elite genotypes for drought tolerance, seventy maize landraces designated as K-L 1 to K-L 70 from Kashmir were evaluated for morpho-physiological traits: shoot height, shoot biomass, root depth, root biomass allocation, shoot to total biomass, root to total biomass, relative water content, canopy temperature, cell membrane stability and chlorophyll content. Result: A significant decrease in root and shoot traits, relative water content, cell membrane stability, chlorophyll content and a significant increase in canopy temperature was recorded under drought conditions. The evaluation led to identifying landraces exhibiting desirable traits for drought tolerance that would prove useful for further crop improvement.