Evaluation of Saccharum spontaneum Clones for Water Deficit Stress Tolerance

Abstract

Forty Saccharum spontaneum accessions were evaluated for water deficit stress tolerance in augmented design along with three standards. After 90 days of the planting water stress was imposed by withholding the irrigation for a period of eight weeks. Morphological traits viz., plant height and number of tillers per clump and physiological traits viz., relative water content, membrane injury index and chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were recorded periodically. Total fresh biomass and dry biomass were recorded after harvesting the crop at the 11th month of the crop growth. Nine genotypes viz., IND 08 – 1491, IND 99 – 848, IND 99 – 847, IND 99 – 863, IND 99 – 849, IND 99 – 882, IND 02 – 1186, SES 121A and IND 99- 850 were found to be superior for maximum no. of drought tolerance related traits. From the correlation analysis among the traits recorded during stress it is found that apart from the plant height and number of tillers per clump, chlorophyll ‘a’ (0.343*), total chlorophyll (0.326*) and carotenoid (0.320*) contents during stress had a significant positive correlation with total dry biomass. Relative water content had significant positive correlation (0.320*) with the plant height during stress. The correlated traits can be used to identify the drought tolerant genotypes. The identified tolerant genotypes can be evaluated further in replicated trial and can be utilized in sugarcane improvement programmes.