ASSESSMENT OF SECONDARY METABOLISM INVOLVEMENT IN WATER STRESS TOLERANCE OF QUINOA (CHENOPODIUM QUINOA WILLD.) SUBJECTED TO VARYING WATER REGIMES

Water deficiency is a most prevalent problem which directly affects the plant growth and yield production. Keeping in view, the present study was conducted to examined the stress resistant potential of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) subjected to varying water regimes [100%, 60%, 40% and 20% field capacity (F.C.)]. Four different cultivars (V1, V2, V7 and V9) of quinoa were allowed to grow for two weeks after seed germination under normal conditions. After it, seedlings of quinoa were subjected to different levels of water stress. The required drought stress levels were maintained after 30 days of seed germination. After fifteen days of drought stress treatments, the data were collected for growth and various physio-biochemical attributes. Drought stress considerably reduced the plant growth in terms of shoot and root fresh as well as dry weights alongwith chlorophyll a and b contents and relative water contents (RWC) while a considerable increase was observed in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA), proline and total sugar contents in all four quinoa cultivars. Overall, it can be suggested that of all four quinoa cultivars, cv. V9 has the ability to cope with severe drought stress so it is considered as more drought tolerant and cv. V7 considered as drought sensitive particularly on the basis of plant growth.