A Rapid Morphological Screening Procedure for Pea (Pisum sativum L.) under Drought Stress in Greenhouse Settings
Eliane T. Bodah *
Division of Breeding, ProGene Plant Research LLC, 860 S. Crestline, Othello, WA 99344, USA.
Kurt Braunwart
Division of Breeding, ProGene Plant Research LLC, 860 S. Crestline, Othello, WA 99344, USA
Brian W. Bodah
WSU Extension, Pierce County Extension, Washington State University, 3602 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98418, USA.
Alcindo Neckel
Department of Geography, Faculdade Meridional University, Passo Fundo, RS 99100, Brazil.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: This work proposes a rapid morphological screening procedure for peas grown under drought stress aiming to provide phenotypic evaluations for further research.
Materials and Methods: The plant yield and morphological changes of two widely grown pea cultivars (‘Aragorn’ and ‘Banner’) to drought stress was evaluated in this work. A total of eighty seeds of each pea variety were grown in a randomized completed block with four replicates in a greenhouse located in Moscow, ID. Plants were subjected to optimal irrigation (1400 ml as a control) and two treatments that reduced optimal irrigation rates by 40% (840 ml, moderate drought) and 60% (560 ml, severe drought) to induce drought stress. The test was repeated.
Results: Varieties significantly (P<0.05) differed in their response to water deficiency. The variety ‘Banner’ appeared to be the most drought tolerant than ‘Aragorn’ with high values at control, moderate and severe as (85.00±4.08) cm, (87.21±3.26) cm and (66.02±2.92) cm respectively for total plant height, while the values for total dry weight were (3.65±0.20) g, (2.18±0.42) g and (1.26±0.10) g respectively. Similarly, there were significant (P<0.001) differences among treatments on growth parameters, with highest values recorded at optimal irrigation (1400 ml) as (21.52±2.42) cm, (62.18±4.68) cm, (0.24±0.04) g, (2.86±0.38) g and (2.30±0.18) seeds/pod for root length, shoot height, root weight, shoot weight and number of seeds respectively. The growth parameters decreased with a decrease of irrigation.
Conclusion: As drought and stress conditions are expected to increase as global climate change progresses, breeding for drought is a promising area. Therefore, the variety ‘Banner’ has been identified as a potential parental material to be used in breeding for drought tolerance.
Keywords: Drought, greenhouse plants, agronomic methods, stress tolerance, peas