ASA Southern Branch 2007 Annual Meeting
February 4-6, 2007
Mobile, AL

Sunday, 4 February 2007

Screening cowpea cultivars to multiple abiotic stresses.

Shardendu Kumar Singh1, Vijaya G. Kakani2, Giridara Kumar Surabhi1, and K.Raja Reddy3. (1) Mississippi State Univ, Dept of Plant and Soil Sciences, 117 Dorman Hall, Box 9555, Mississippi State, MS 39762, (2) Univ of Florida-Agronomy Dept, 117 Dorman Hall, Box 9555, Mississippi State, MS 39762, (3) Mississippi State University, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, 117 Dorman Hall, Box 9555, Mississippi State, MS 39762

The objectives of this study were to evaluate interactive effects of [CO2], temperature, and UV-B radiation on growth, physiology and reproduction of cowpea genotypes and to identify genotypic tolerance to multiple stressors. Six cowpea genotypes [Prima, CB-5, CB-27, CB-46, Mississippi Pinkeye (MPE) and UCR-193] were grown in eight sunlit, controlled environment chambers. The treatments consisted of two levels each of [CO2] (ambient, 360 and elevated, 720 ppm), UV-B [0 and 10 kJ m-2 d-1, (+UV-B)] and temperatures [30/22 °C (T) and 38/30 °C (+T)] from 10 days after sowing to maturity. Plants were irrigated three times a day with half-strength Hoagland's nutrient solution. Elevated [CO2] alleviated the damaging effects of +UV-B and +T on photosynthesis and vegetative growth parameters. On the contrary, reductions in production, retention, and size of flowers, pollen viability and seed number were not ameliorated by elevated [CO2] at +UV-B and +T conditions. Plant grown at +UV-B, +T and +UV-B+T caused reductions in all vegetative growth and physiological parameters. In addition, plants grown at +T+UV-B failed to retain flowers. The reductions in vegetative and reproductive parameters were less in CB-5, MPE and UCR-193. The +UV-B+T treatment showed negative impact both on physiological and reproductive processes in all genotypes. Based on the total stress response index (TSRI), developed from sum of response indices of vegetative and reproductive parameters, genotypes were classified as tolerant (CB-5, MPE and UCR-193), intermediate (CB-46 and Prima) and sensitive (CB-27). No correlation was recorded between vegetative and reproductive TSRIs. Similarly, cell membrane thermostability, an indicator of relative injury to membranes, also showed no significant correlation with either vegetative or reproductive TSRIs. Even though genotypes can be separated based on vegetative and reproductive growth parameters, the TSRI of vegetative and reproductive parameters are not correlated indicating tolerance mechanisms in vegetative and reproductive processes operate differently.

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