Abstract
Managing water consumption of the crops is one of the strategies which have been adopted locally and worldwide in current trends of sustainable agriculture. In addition to the low level of water resources in UAE because of the rare precipitation, no fresh, free-flowing water, rivers, lakes or streams. The present study was aimed to evaluate the effects of exogenous Glycine Betaine (GB) on Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) within different levels of drought stress. A pot experiment was designed on a completely randomized block design (CRBD) with three replicates. Exogenous GB was applied as a foliar spray in three levels (0,100 and 200 ppm) five times with five days intervals. Drought stress starts within the second GB treatment in three levels (24h: 100% well-watered), (48h: 60% water deficit) and (72h: 40% water deficit) depending on the required quantity. Growth characteristics, pigment concentrations, biochemical content and Mineral nutrients levels were measured in response to the treatment variables. Results showed that the GB has a significant increment in Growth parameters, biochemical contents, and Mineral nutrients concentrations. The results of the present investigation suggested that the exogenous application of GB was improved the drought tolerance in Cowpea and has enhanced the Alfalfa performance under drought stress in both concentrations 100 and 200 ppm under drought stress of 60% of irrigations water. In due of comparison of Cowpea and Alfalfa, it’s found from this study that GB has a better effect on the Cowpea under drought stress than Alfalfa.
Highlights
More than any other environmental factor, permanent or temporary water deficit stress limits the growth and distribution of natural and artificial vegetation and the performance of cultivated plants
The effect of Glycine Betaine (GB), drought stress and their combination induced changes on morphology and physiological changes of Cowpea and alfalfa are presented in Tables 1 and 2
Shoot length in Cowpea was decreased under drought stress conditions treatments when compared with the control
Summary
More than any other environmental factor, permanent or temporary water deficit stress limits the growth and distribution of natural and artificial vegetation and the performance of cultivated plants. The abiotic stresses, drought has been identified as one of the major global problems in the future and will face a major challenge for crop production in the arid and semi-arid regions in particular [1]. Productive and sustainable agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions requires growing plants with less input of valuable resources such as fresh water. Osmotic adjustment is an adaptive mechanism involving drought or salinity tolerance that allows turgor to be maintained under conditions of water deficit [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
