Effect of Drought on Growth and Chlorophyll Content in Three Vetch Species

Abstract

Plants in the nature are constantly exposed to biotic and abiotic stresses. Among these stresses, the drought is the mainly important factor unfavorable to the growth and the development of plants, and it is considered as a threat in the sustainable agriculture especially in dry regions. The aim of this work is to study the effect of 4 water regimes [100% (control)-80-60 and 40% of the field capacity (FC)] on the dimensional and weight growth and on the chlorophyll content in three vetch species (Vicia narbonensis, V. sativa and V. villosa). The experiment was carried out under greenhouse in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. The sowing was realized by one pre-germinating seed per pot. The water stress was imposed at the two leaves stage. The parameters were determined after 71 days of drought. Results showed that height, leaf area and dry matter of shoots and roots decreased significantly with the water stress intensities on the three vetch species. However, V. villosa was the most sensitive one at this stage of growth, compared to Narbonne vetch. The biomass reduction was in concomitance with an important decrease in chlorophyll content which reached 44% and 20% respectively for V. villosa and V. narbonensis.