Growth Dynamics in some Mulberry Genotypes during Water Deficit Stress

Water is the most limiting factor for plant productivity and plant growth rates are proportional to water availability. As water plays an essential role in plant metabolism, any decrease in water availability has an immediate effect on plant growth. Mulberry, Morus spp., plants respond to drought on a whole plant basis. Research on the effects of stress in mulberry has so far focused mainly on above ground organs, leaving many questions about the sensitivity of the ischolar_main system to stress. It is, therefore, present investigation was carried out in mulberry to study ischolar_main growth responses to water deficit conditions. Cuttings of Local, K-2, S-13, S-36, V-1 and AR-10 were raised in nursery. Crop wise pot plantations were taken up utilizing the saplings and respective water deficit, mild water stress, moderate stress and severe stress were imposed. Impact of water stress treatments on shoot and ischolar_main systems was studied visà- vis control for five crops. Adverse impact of different stress treatment on leaf yield and yield attributes was observed. Maximum reduction in leaf yield was recorded in K-2 followed by S-36 showing a stress index of 16.8 and 20.6 per cent, respectively in response to severe stress as compared to their controls. Maximum reduction in leaf yield was in the genotype K-2 (83.16%) where as the least reduction in S-13 (65.62%). Among the varieties the ischolar_main weight per plant under severe stress was 32.26 g in AR-10 followed by 31.71g in S-13 with least in K-2 (23.62 g). The shoot-to- ischolar_main ratio was found to be 0.98 in AR-10 and 0.95 in Local revealing more ischolar_main mass. Water relation studies indicated variety specific variation in relative water content (RWC) and water saturation deficit (WSD) to stress treatments.