TRĂSĂTURI MORFO-FIZIOLOGICE ASOCIATE TOLERANȚEI LA SECETĂ LA CULTURA DE FLOAREA-SOARELUI

Abstract

Drought affects the growth and development of plants, inhibits the absorption of nutrients from the soil, significantly reducing crop productivity. Water deficit reduces the size and mass of organs in Helianthus annuus L. plants, such as leaves, stems, head diameter, simultaneously affecting the parameters associated with productivity, such as number and weight of total and full seeds per head, hectoliter mass, 1000-seeds weight. One of the main strategies to reduce the negative impact of drought is the creation and introduction into culture of genotypes characterized by tolerance to water deficit. The present work includes an analyzes of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) phenotypic responses to drought stress and revealing of some morpho-physiological traits, which can be used r for germplasm screening. Each of the applied methodologies, in addition to the obvious advantages, has a series of limitations that create impediments in the correct assessment of genotypes. In this context, integration of morpho-physiological and biochemical traits with genetico-molecular approaches and involvement of different analysis tools (correlational, ANOVA, PCA) are recommended for efficient screening and development sunflower hybrids adapted to drought stress.