Evaluation of Potato Cultivars for Resistance Against Water Deficit Stress Under In Vivo Conditions

Water deficit is the most important abiotic stress factor in crop production. Evaluation of the response of different potato cultivars to water deficit stress is necessary to release cultivars for regions with water deficit. A split-plot experiment with three replications was carried out during 2005 and 2006. The main factor consisted of three levels of irrigation (irrigation after 25%, 35% and 50% discharge of the available water, i.e. normal conditions, mild stress and severe stress, respectively), and the split factor included seven potato cultivars (Agria, Savalan, Satina, Caesar, Kennebec, Marfona and Sante). Cultivars Savalan, Caesar and Kennebec had higher total and marketable tuber yield, water use efficiency, and values for stress tolerance indices than the other cultivars, both under mild and severe stress conditions. Cultivars Caesar and Kennebec were selected as tolerant cultivars; cultivars Savalan and Satina were identified as moderately tolerant cultivars whereas cultivars Agria, Marfona and Sante proved to be susceptible to water deficit.