Vegetos

Abstract

Drought stress hinders plant growth and productivity due to the current climate change scenario. Two genotypes of Pennisetum glaucum ((tolerant IP14322 and susceptible LRNO5) were screened under 5 and 10 days of drought stress to detect traits responsible for tolerance to drought. Several strategies were identified in response to drought among the two genotypes. This work reports the traits of drought adaptation between the two genotypes. IP14322 maintained high biomass production, tolerance index, RWC better than LRNO5 after imposing drought stress. The study showed that total chlorophyll contents, MDA concentration and accumulation of antioxidant enzymes (CAT, APX) highlighted that genotype IP14322 is a desired crop for drought tolerance. Total chlorophyll content, RWC, biomass production under stress reduced significantly as compared to LRNO5 genotypes. The high concentration of MDA and high accumulation of antioxidant enzymes with extended periods of drought stress suggest that IP14322 possess a certain measure of osmotic protection and induced activity of antioxidant thereby causing death of the plant. Therefore, these landraces are of precious value to incorporate genetic profiling that can be used in breeding