Water deficit tolerance of oil palm genotypes commercially grown in Colombia
2009
Rodriguez, C. B. | Romero, H. M.
The oil palm is one of the most important crops in Colombia. The productivity of the crop in Colombia is affected by drought periods in different regions of the country. One solution to overcome this problem is to breed for tolerant materials with the capability of a sustain production with low water supply. The objective of this project is to determine the tolerance or susceptibility of commercial genotypes used in Colombia to water deficit. The project has two phases in which the water deficit tolerance is determined for 12 commercial materials. In the first phase water deficit tolerance is measured on young palms planted in the Palmar de la Vizcaina (Santander -Colombia) in the second phase nursery oil palms of the same genotypes are exposed to water deficit under controlled greenhouse conditions. The results are presented from measurements made on young palms during a wet period and for nursery plants under water deficit treatments. The evaluated responses were: I) changes in spear leaf extension, II) gas exchange, III) chlorophyll fluorescence, IV) water potential, and V) biochemical changes (proline and sugar accumulation). The responses are related to climate variables. The observed physiological and biochemical data indicate that some materials present different responses to water deficit although the tolerance or susceptibility of them is not clear. The significance of these results is discussed.
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