Morpho-Physiological Traits of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) for Post-Flowering Drought Resistance
2020
Kebede, Zerihun | Mekbib, Firew | Abebe, Tesfaye | Asfaw, Asrat
Though breeding for drought resistance is complicated due to the many processes involved and their interaction with the environment, availability of precise, cheap and easy to apply selection tool is critical. The present study quantified the response of potato genotypes to drought and identified potential morpho-physiological traits that are useful for selection of drought tolerant genotypes. The study assessed sixty genotypes under two irrigation regimes: fully watered non-stress and terminal drought, where the irrigation water supply to the crop was withheld after 50% flowering to induce post-flowering stress. Measurements for various morpho-physiological, yield and quality related traits were taken following the potato crop trait ontology. The post-flowering stress induced in this study caused a tuber yield reduction of 33.13% compared with the non-stressed treatment. The genotypes responded differently in tuber yielding potential to the drought. This differential tuber yield response to drought was associated with up and downward regulation of multiple traits related to drought adaptation in potatoes. Drought caused downward regulation on trait responses such as harvest index, leaf area and specific leaf area. Plant height, aboveground biomass and relative water content of leaf contributed negatively for tuber yield under stressed condition. Therefore, the selection attributes identified from this study could help the potato breeding program in the country to develop climate resilient potato varieties.
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