Peanut response to water stress as reflected in. yield and physiological attributes [electronic resource].

Includes references.

Peanut crops grown either in rain-fed or irrigated agricultures are commonly exposed to drought threats, particularly when the effect of temperature combines to determine the final productivity. The objectives of this study were to investigate the response of peanut genotypes to irrigation schedules imposed in the interval when the plant is most severely affected by soil water depletion. Two field experiments were accomplished during the growing seasons of 2003 and 2004 at the experimental farm of Suez. Canal University, lsmailia. Four peanut genotypes (Giza-6, lsmailia-l, Gregory and NC-7) with contrasting growth habit were grown under three water depletion levels; 75, 50 and 25% of soil field capacity. Results revealed reduction in the mean values of the measured variables when irrigation periods are prolonged. A significant irrigation x genotype interactions for some traits and a linear negative response of partitioning factor to low soil moisture content were also detected. Virginia genotypes (Gregory and NC-7) dominated Spanish (Giza-6 and lsmailia-l) in total dry matter production, seed and pod yield when irrigated with 25% of soil field capacity. Yet Spanish genotypes represented an equivalent response or exceeded when the soil became wetter. At 25 % available soil water, Virginia genotypes could be a promising material for dry matter production, although Spanish type can be distinguished (Ismailia-l). The two Egyptian varieties demonstrated reasonable rate of assimilate partitioning to pods under soil water stress and one variety (Ismailia-l) showed improved in WUS by about 20 %.

Summary in Arabic.

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