Structuraland physiological traits of soybean and corn genotypes under water deficit

Abstract

Soybean and maize are widely cultivated plants of great economic importance for Brazil and the world. The development of agricultural crops since their domestication has been driven by the selection of traits recognized at the phenotypic level. However, direct selection for grain yield under water stress conditions was hampered by low heritability issues. World agricultural production depends to a large extent on the ability of a crop to tolerate and acclimatize to certain environmental stresses. Currently, there are many studies reporting the role of aerenchyma and characteristics of the root system in drought tolerance of cultivated plants. Traits such as root architecture, nutrient absorption and nitrogen fixation are promising for a new and necessary green revolution. Brazil stands out as a major world producer of maize and soybeans. Thus, the study with varieties of maize and soybeans, widely cultivated in Brazil, offers the potential for creation of varieties tolerant to our climatic conditions, since there is a many variations in the adaptive responses of plants to drought. In this work we study the structural and physiological characteristics of corn and soybeans tolerant to drought. In addition, the molecular and hormonal mechanisms involved in aerenchyma formation in maize roots were evaluated.