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International Journal of Pure & Applied Bioscience (IJPAB)
Year : 2018, Volume : 6, Issue : 6
First page : (613) Last page : (620)
Article doi: : http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.7175

Effects of Brassinosteroids on Growth and Biochemical Responses of Apple Plants to Water Stress

Sudarshna Kumari¹* and Anju Thakur²

¹Department of Plant Physiology, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology,
US Nagar-263145 Uttrakhand, India
²Department of Basic Sciences (Plant Physiology), Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan-173230 Himachal Pradesh, India
*Corresponding Author E-mail: sudarshnakumari89@gmail.com
Received: 10.10.2018 | Revised: 16.11.2018 | Accepted: 24.11.2018  

 ABSTRACT

Apple one-year-old potted “Super Chief and Red Chief” plants (Malus × domestica Borkh) were subjected to various treatments of water stress. Both varieties i.e. Super Chief and Red Chief were pre-treated by foliar application of brassinosteroid 0.05 and 0.10 ppm, three days before subjecting to stress. Growth and physio-biochemical characteristics viz. plant height, a number of branches, collar diameter, total free amino acids and drought tolerance efficiency were estimated throughout the development of water stress to showed significant reduction under water stress. The maximum reduction in Plant height was registered by plants subjected to 30 of water stress as compared to 15 days of water stress. Maximum per cent reductions in plant height i.e. 13.73 and 15.57% were observed in plants subjected to 30 days of water stress, whereas minimum reductions i.e. 4.29 and 4.91 were registered by brassinosteroid 0.05 ppm under 15 days of water stress below control in Super Chief ad Red Chief. An osmoregulating substance like total free amino acid i.e.6.04, 8.83 and 6.85, 9.45 mg g-1 showed increased accumulation with increasing duration of water stress, which helped in enhancing drought tolerance efficiency. Brassinosteroids involved in the stress response and appear to minimize the impact of stress on growth and to trigger stress resistance mechanism. However, brassinosteroid at both concentrations could help in maintaining vital growth and biochemical processes under water stress conditions. Foliar spray of brassinosteroid (0.05 ppm) prior to imposition of stress can pave the way to minimize the deleterious effects of water stress on apple plants.

Key words: Apple, Growth, Amino acids, Brassinosteroid, Drought tolerance efficiency.

 Full Text : PDF; Journal doi : http://dx.doi.org/10.18782

Cite this article: Kumari, S. and Thakur, A., Effects of Brassinosteroids on Growth and Biochemical Responses of Apple Plants to Water Stress, Int. J. Pure App. Biosci.6(6): 613-620 (2018). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.7175