Summary
An analysis was made of the stomatal apparatus of the leaves of five Italian durum wheat varieties, grown under different natural rainfall regimes.
Rainfall had a significant influence on both development of the leaves and frequency and size of the stomata. Results were examined with respect to yield stability. Correlations between examined traits were calculated.
The contribution of each plant character to water stress tolerance was assessed, and suitability for selecting higher yielding genotypes in stress conditions was determined.
On examining the results it emerged that:
-
a)
due to water stress, the transpiring/photosynthesizing area ratio increased;
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b)
cultivars which are able to mantain open stomata during water stress are more stable in terms of yield;
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c)
the dimension of stomatal aperture on the lower surface in plants grown under water stress is a useful trait for screening drought tolerant genotypes.
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Abbreviations
- LA:
-
leaf area (mm2)
- N:
-
number of stomata/mm2
- SA:
-
stomatal area (mm2)
- TA:
-
transpiring area (mm2)
- TA %:
-
percentage of transpiring area
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Venora, G., Calcagno, F. Study of stomatal parameters for selection of drought resistant varieties in Triticum durum DESF. Euphytica 57, 275–283 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00039674
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00039674