Abstract
The genotypes selection for drought tolerance is very important for world food production, principally in arid regions or sites with irregular rain distribution. The objective of this work was to identify cowpea genotypes with drought tolerance and water stress sensitivity characteristics. Two experiments were carried out with 20 treatments and four replications, one under water deficit during reproductive phase and another one under full irrigation. The water deficit was obtained applying half the water depth required by cowpea. The leaf area index, chlorophyll content, grain components and grain yield were evaluated. The water deficit reduced 20% the leaf area index, 16% the chlorophyll content, 175% the pod number per plant and 60% the grain yield. The genotypes Santo Inacio and Tracuateua-192 present sensitivity to water deficit in soil andBRS-Paraguacu, Pingo-de-ouro-1-2 and Pingo-de-ouro-2 show behavior for drought tolerance.
Highlights
The cowpea is grown in almost throughout the Northeast under drought and, subject to water scarcity due to poor rainfall distribution
The water deficit is one of the major causes of reduction in agricultural productivity, primarily by affecting all aspects related to the plant development, including anatomical, morphological, physiological and biochemical modifications, being the losses directly related to its duration, severity and stage of crop development (BEZERRA et al, 2003)
The leaf area is related to the plant’s metabolism, dry matter production and yield (SEVERINO et al, 2004), being an important production factor and measurement of water use plants when exposed to water deficit (FERNÁNDEZ et al, 1996; VIEIRA et al, 2000)
Summary
The cowpea is grown in almost throughout the Northeast under drought and, subject to water scarcity due to poor rainfall distribution. According to Mousinho (2006), the cowpea sensitivity to water scarcity in the soil, together with climatic uncertainties, mainly related to the irregular rainfall distribution from one year to another and from one place to another, determine these low income and the oscillation in the annual crop production in Piauí. The leaf area is related to the plant’s metabolism, dry matter production and yield (SEVERINO et al, 2004), being an important production factor and measurement of water use plants when exposed to water deficit (FERNÁNDEZ et al, 1996; VIEIRA et al, 2000). Such situation was observed by Ribeiro et al (2004), Matsui and Singh (2003) in cowpea researches. According to Netto et al (2005), the indirect determination of chlorophyll content in leaves can be used as a tool to diagnose the integrity of the photosynthetic apparatus when the plants are subjected to environmental adversity
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