Assessment of tuberose (Agave amica Medik.) genotypes for morphological responses under drought conditions Ojha Gurudutt1, Singh Ajay Kumar1,*, Kumar Rakesh1, Kumar Hitesh2, Chugh Vishal3 1Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda-210 001, Uttar Pradesh, India 2Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda-210 001, Uttar Pradesh, India 3Department of Basic and Social Sciences, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda-210 001, Uttar Pradesh, India *Corresponding author’s e-mail: ajayorchid@gmail.com
Online published on 13 March, 2024. Abstract Drought is a critical factor significantly impacting crop production in India. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive two-year screening experiment conducted in factorial completely randomized design, replicated three times. The experiment aimed to compare the morphological characteristics of twenty-five tuberose varieties, including single, double, and semi-double flower types, to evaluate their resilience to drought. Various morphological traits were examined, such as plant height, plant spread, leaf count, days to initial bud emergence, days to basal floret opening, spike length, florets per spike, floret diameter and length, flower duration, vase and shelf-life, spike yield per plant, bulb count per plant, and individual bulb weight. The findings highlight that, among the 25 genotypes studied, Kalyan Single, Suvasini, and Arka Nirantara demonstrated notable tolerance to drought conditions. Consequently, these genotypes show significant potential for future breeding programs and cultivation practices, particularly in drought-prone areas. Top Keywords Drought, Genotypes, Morphological, Tolerance, Tuberose. Top |