Performance of Heat Tolerant Maize Genotypes under Moisture Stress during Rainy Season in Karnataka
B. N. Shwetha *
Department of Agronomy, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
B. M. Chittapur
Department of Agronomy, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
P. H. Kuchanur
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
B. G. Koppalkar
Department of Agronomy, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
A. S. Halepyati
Department of Agronomy, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
. Mahadevaswamy
Department of Agricultural Microbiology University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
H. Veeresh
Department of Soil Science University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
Y. M. Ramesh
Department of Agronomy, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This research was formulated to study the response of heat tolerant genotypes to prolonged period of water stress prevalent under rainfed situation. The trial was conducted at Agricultural Research Station, Dhadesugur, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, Karnataka, India, during rainy season (kharif) 2019. The present study comprised of three stress tolerant genotypes (RCRMH 2, RCRMH 3 and RCRMH 4) with four moisture stress stages (imposed between 20-40, 40-60, 60-80 and 80-100 DAS) which were sown during June, July and August, and the design employed was Randomized complete block design. The results revealed that superior performance of RCRMH 3 (5321 kg ha-1) over other genotypes whether stressed or not, but all the genotypes were on par with each other in terms of physiological parameters viz., proline accumulation, relative water content, canopy temperature, NDVI, relative chlorophyll content and ASI, and these parameters exhibited good correlation with yield and hence found ideal for stress studies. The present study indicated that these cultivars sustain maize production under moisture stress condition and therefore, are suitable to semiarid region characterized by inclement weather.
Keywords: Heat tolerant genotypes, moisture stress, proline, relative water content, canopy temperature, grain yield.