MORPHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF MORINGA (Moringa stenopetala L.) ACCESSIONS SEEDLING TO WATER STRESS UNDER GREENHOUSE CONDITION AT HAWASSA, SNNPR, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Moringa stenopetala L. is a plant sometimes called miracle plant due to its adaptability and versatility in use. Indeed, it is considered as a super food, store house of nutrients, remedy for more than 300 diseases, water purification material, oil and biogas source, post-harvest preservative, and climate change mitigate plant. However, in spite of its marvelous importance, the plant has not got research attention for morphological and physiological responses of accession to water stress. Therefore, a pot experiment was conducted to investigate the morphological and physiological responses of Moringa stenopetala L. accessions seedling to water stress under greenhouse condition from October to January, 2018 at the college of Agriculture, Hawassa University, Ethiopia. The experiment was consisted of three accessions (Konso, Arbaminch Zuria and Humbo) and four water stress levels imposed as irrigation interval (daily, 5 days interval, 10 days interval and 15 days interval watering) assigned in completely randomized design with three replications. The results revealed that accessions significantly differed for most of the morphological and physiological parameters studied in this experiment. The accession “Arbaminch Zuria” was higher in seedling height, stem collar girth, leaf area, root length, fresh and dry weights, total seedling fresh and dry weights, chlorophyll a, b and total and instantaneous water use efficiency than other accessions. Oppositely, the accession “Humbo” was lower in all parameters except root length, stomata number and instantaneous water use efficiency. The accession “Konso” and “Humbo” was stastically similar in root length and instantaneous water use efficiency. The accession “Konso” and “Arbaminch Zuria” was stastically similar in leaf number, root diameter, stomata number, length and width. Regarding to water stress, the experiment shown that, increased water stress significantly reduced stem collar girth, leaf area, root length, diameter, fresh and dry weights, total seedling fresh and dry weights, chlorophyll a, b and total. Additionally, fresh and dry leaf weight, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and leaf relative water content were significantly influenced due to the interaction effect of accession and water stress. Accession “Arbaminch Zuria” grown under daily watering was higher in all parameters except leaf relative water content those indicated significant due to interaction. The present results therefore, indicated that accession “Arbaminch Zuria” with daily watering performs better in raising Moringa stenopetala seedling. As the experiment was a single trail with limited resources, study is still needed on more indigenous and exotic accession under different water stress including under field conditions