Screening of some cultivars/lines of blackgram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper) for resistance to water stress

Abstract

The effect of water stress on the growth of ten cultivars/lines of blackgram was assessed in a pot experiment with three treatments, (1) no drought (control), (2) three drought cycles and (3) six drought cycles. A land race, Qandhari mash, from a drought-prone area, produced significantly greater biomass, had higher plant water content, more epicuticular wax, and marked ability for osmotic adjustment compared with the other cultivars/lines. Shoot protein concentration of most of the cultivars increased under moisture stress, whereas that of Qandhari mash remained unaffected. Considerable inter-cultivar/-line variation in response to water stress was observed to suggest that selection of individuals with enhanced water-stress tolerance is possible within blackgram.