RESPONSE OF SIX OILSEED RAPE GENOTYPES TO WATER STRESS AND HYDROGEL APPLICATION

H. R.   Tohidi-Moghadam; A. H.   Shirani-Rad; G.   Nour-Mohammadi; D.   Habibi; S. A. M.   Modarres-Sanavy; M.   Mashhadi-Akbar-Boojar; A.   Dolatabadian

RESPONSE OF SIX OILSEED RAPE GENOTYPES TO WATER STRESS AND HYDROGEL APPLICATION

Autores

H. R. Tohidi-Moghadam

A. H. Shirani-Rad

G. Nour-Mohammadi

D. Habibi

S. A. M. Modarres-Sanavy

M. Mashhadi-Akbar-Boojar

A. Dolatabadian

Editor

Universidade Federal de Goiás

Descripción

hydrogel amendments may improve seedling growth and establishment by increasing water retention capacity of soils and regulation of plants available water supplies, especially under arid environments. This study was conducted to evaluate the role of super absorbent polymer use in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) genotypes, under drought stress, evaluating some agronomic (total biomass, seed yield, yield components and harvest index) and physiological characters (chlorophyll content). The experiment was carried out in the research farm of the Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, in 2007-2008, in Karaj, Iran (35°59'N, 50°75E, 151 m altitude), as a randomized complete block design, with factorial split-plot arrangement, with three replications. The irrigation strategy had two levels (irrigation after 80% of water evaporation, from class A Pan as control, and drought stress, starting from the flowering stage to physiological maturity) and the application of super absorbent also occurred at two levels (absence of super absorbent as control, and application of super absorbent at 7% concentration), as main plots. Genotypes Rgs003 (V1), Sarigol (V2), Option500 (V3), Hyola401 (V4), Hyola330 (V5), and Hyola420 (V6) were allotted to subplots. Results showed a significant difference between irrigation treatments, presence of super absorbent, and genotypes on agronomic and physiological characters. Water stress decreased total biomass, seed yield components, harvest index, and chlorophyll content. On the other hand, under field conditions, the use of 7% of super absorbent increased agronomic and physiological characters performance. Field results showed that drought stress and absence of super absorbent lead to a decrease in all agronomic parameters. These results may be due to the reduction of photosynthesis and chlorophyll content. In our study, the super absorbent was able to reduce the destructive effect of water deficiency, by absorbing and preserving water and improving several agronomic characters. Observing the increased yield and its components and decreasing plant water requirement, it seems that this material is technically acceptable.