Effects of water deficit on growth and chlorophyll content of Zea mays

Abstract

Environmental stresses or abiotic stresses especially water usually gives many impact for plant growth and productivity. Water deficit has profound impact on ecological and agricultural systems by causing oxidative stress. By relating this environment perturbation with plants tolerance, resistance of plants towards stresses can be identified and improved the plants productivity. The objectives of this study are to determine the effects of water deficit on the growth and chlorophyll content of Zea mays. Zea mays were treated with different volumes of water i.e. 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 ml. The growth and chlorophyll content were determined at 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 11 days of treatment periods. In general, total chlorophyll content increased at early stages but prolonged exposure to water deficit resulted in the reduction of chlorophyll content. For growth of Zea mays, there were no significant differences observed between treated and untreated plants. These results indicated that water deficit did not significantly affected the growth and chlorophyll content of Zea mays leaves.