Acclimation of Artocarpus chaplasha (Chapalish) seedlings to soil water deficit
Ferdousee, Nure; Hoque, A.T.M. Rafiqul; Kabir, Md. Alamgir; Mohiuddin, M.Basic and Applied Dryland Research, (2011), p. 17 - 25
Abstract
The aim of the present work was to investigate the potential acclimation of Artocarpus chaplasha (Chapalish) seedlings to soil water deficit. In the nursery of the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Chittagong University, seedlings were grown on a mixture of nursery soil and cow dung (3: 1) in black polythene tubes. Growth and yield of seedlings, and their shoot water content, declined under soil water limitation. Soil moisture content and shoot water content were highly correlated. Under soil water deficits, total mass production of Chapalish seedlings was negatively affected as indicated by a significant reduction in stem elongation, leaf expansion, and root, stem and leaf mass increment. Moreover, soil moisture content and root dry mass were linearly related. Within two weeks of re-watering, stem elongation, leaf expansion, and total plant and root mass significantly recovered in drought-stressed seedlings.