Impact of water deficit on growth attributes and yield of banana cultivars and hybrids

Abstract

Water deficit is one of the most important factors to limit banana productivity in the world, especially in dry and semidry areas where large fluctuations in the amount and distribution of rain these areas face. Some cultivars and hybrids have a set of physiological adaptations that allow them to tolerate water deficit and the degree of morphological and physiological adaptations may vary considerably among species. This study examined the relationship between yield reduction by leaf area (LA), leaf area index (LAI), and specific leaf weight (SLW). Our results showed a significant reduction in all growth attributes at all stages due to the water deficit. Association between all these growth attributes character and yield components were observed particularly at the 5th and 7th MAP stages. It is clear that all these parameters could explain some of the mechanisms which indicate tolerance to drought and help in understanding the physiological responses that enable plants to adapt to water deficit and maintain growth and productivity during stress periods and indicate the importance of these traits in future breeding programs for screening and selection of tolerant cultivars and hybrids of banana.