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Study of stomatal parameters for selection of drought resistant varieties in Triticum durum DESF

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Summary

An analysis was made of the stomatal apparatus of the leaves of five Italian durum wheat varieties, grown under different natural rainfall regimes.

Rainfall had a significant influence on both development of the leaves and frequency and size of the stomata. Results were examined with respect to yield stability. Correlations between examined traits were calculated.

The contribution of each plant character to water stress tolerance was assessed, and suitability for selecting higher yielding genotypes in stress conditions was determined.

On examining the results it emerged that:

  1. a)

    due to water stress, the transpiring/photosynthesizing area ratio increased;

  2. b)

    cultivars which are able to mantain open stomata during water stress are more stable in terms of yield;

  3. c)

    the dimension of stomatal aperture on the lower surface in plants grown under water stress is a useful trait for screening drought tolerant genotypes.

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Abbreviations

LA:

leaf area (mm2)

N:

number of stomata/mm2

SA:

stomatal area (mm2)

TA:

transpiring area (mm2)

TA %:

percentage of transpiring area

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stazione Sperimentale di Granicoltura per la Sicilia, Caltagirone, Via Rossini n. 1, 95041, Caltagirone (CT), Italy

    Gianfranco Venora & Fortunato Calcagno

Authors
  1. Gianfranco Venora
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  2. Fortunato Calcagno
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Venora, G., Calcagno, F. Study of stomatal parameters for selection of drought resistant varieties in Triticum durum DESF. Euphytica 57, 275–283 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00039674

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00039674

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