Physiological Responses of Potato to Short-Term Drought Treatment

Abstract

The study aimed to identify physiological response of potato to drought. For this aim, a drought experiment was carried out by using two different potato varieties, cv. Desiree and Russet Burbank, under environmentally controlled greenhouse conditions. Drought treatment was initiated at 45 days after emergence (early tuber bulking period) by withholding irrigation for 10 days. Physiological traits such as stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll index, leaf temperature, proline content, malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) accumulation, in addition, some yield components average tuber weight, number of tubers and plant tuber yield were evaluated in the study. While the first significant decline in stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and photosynthetic rate of both varieties was occurred at the 5th day of withholding irrigation, the highest decline was observed at 9th and 10th days of withholding irrigation. Proline content in both varieties increased two times at 10th day of withholding irrigation, however, H2O2 accumulation was not changed significantly by drought treatment. Even though MDA accumulation was increased in both varieties under drought stress conditions, the increase was significant in Desiree whereas, it was not significant in Russet Burbank. In addition, while drought treatment did not change the plant tuber yield in both varieties, it caused to a significant decline in average tuber yield of Russet Burbank, being an important trait for marketable tuber yield.