Abstract

PEREZ-HERNANDEZ, Yunel et al. Effect of hydric stress on the germination of seeds from Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench cv. UDG-110. Pastos y Forrajes [online]. 2018, vol.41, n.4, pp.243-252. ISSN 0864-0394.

The objective of this work was to evaluate morphological and biochemical indicators in Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench cv. UDG-110, during the germination process under conditions of hydric stress induced by polyethylene glycol-6000. The seeds were sown on Petri dishes with different concentrations of polyethylene glycol-6000 (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21 %) and were placed in a growth chamber during eight days. The following indicators were evaluated: germination percentage, germination value, length of the root and the aerial part, á-amylase activity and contents of proteins, reducing sugars and soluble phenols. A completely randomized design was used with four replicas per treatment. The polyethylene glycol-6000 affected the germination percentage and the morphophysiological traits, such as length of the roots and aerial parts. The á-amylase activity increased in the variants with presence of the osmotic agent, with values higher than 9 %. In the low and intermediate concentrations of polyethylene glycol-6000 the highest contents of reducing sugars and soluble proteins in the root and the aerial part were observed, respectively. The concentration of soluble phenols in the aerial part reached high values between 15 and 18 %, which can be related with an antioxidant defense mechanism to face the consequences of the oxidative stress generated under diverse conditions of abiotic stresses. The polyethylene glycol-6000 affected the germination process of S. bicolor cv. UDG-110, although there was germination with 21 %, showing the presence of drought tolerance mechanisms, such as the production of osmotically active compounds and the synthesis of antioxidant substances.

Keywords : sorghum; reducing sugars; phenolic compounds; drought.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · English ( pdf ) | Spanish ( pdf )