Responses of Leaf Stomatal Parameters to Induced Water Stress and its Relationship with Stomatal Conductance in False Horn Plantain

Abstract

Water deficit is one of the most important environmental factors affecting agricultural production especially in rainfed cropping systems. To understand how morphological and physiological factors interact, a study was conducted to assess the responses of leaf stomatal parameters to water status and its relationship with chlorophyll content in False Horn plantain. Each plant was grown in 120 kg soil in bowls and subjected to varying watering regimes (10 ml, 15 ml, 20 ml, 25 ml, 30 ml and control) without allowing natural rain into the bowls except the control. The result showed that False Horn plantain was sensitive to soil moisture stress; and this was reflected in changes in reduced growth through reduced plant height. The study also showed a systematic growth of the leaf with time. The patterns of leaf length growth remain similar under the different watering regimes. There was a significant difference in the leaf growth between the control and the varying amount of watering. The undulating pattern, however, showed that other factors could influence the leaf length. The large leaf area used for transpiration in Apantu is likely to be affected by soil water deficit. There was no correlation, however, between the leaf length to width ratio and the soil moisture content. The study further revealed that leaf length and width in False Horn plantain increases with growth, however, leaf sizes started to reduce when the plant approaches the flower primordial stage of growth. Watering regime influenced stomatal opening and closure in False Horn plantain and chlorophyll content. Leaf chlorophyll content was not highly influenced by the varying watering regimes; indicating that the presence of laticifer cells may be a factor for water stress tolerance in plantain.