Growth, Water Relations, Stomatal Conductance and Proline Concentration in Water Stressed Banana (Musa spp.) Plants

摘要

Young tissue cultured banana plants (Musa spp. Cv Pisang mas and Berangan) were subjected to different treatments of water deficit. Plants subjected to reduced water availability showed marked decreases in plant vegetative growth and perturbation in water relations and stomatal response. Stem girth and leaf elongation were markedly reduced after 7 days of withholding water. Regardless of a large depletion in soil moisture content, there was only a small reduction in leaf water status measured as relative water content. Stomatal conductance was more sensitive to the depletion of soil moisture content compared to leaf water status. A large and early decrease in stomatal conductance was shown not to be correlated with the reduction in relative water content. Proline concentration in banana leaf tissue was increased with the onset of water stress. The study also showed that stomatal conductance of banana plants was affected by the changes in Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) in both irrigated and water-stressed plants.