Search

ABSTRACT Water deficit is the main cause of abiotic stress to which plants are susceptible, whether cultivated or those that are underexploited, such as Physalis peruviana L. Searching for tools that contribute to the management of water deficit in plants is fundamental for the maintenance of agriculture, especially in arid and semi-arid areas around the world. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of chemical priming with proline and sodium nitroprusside as promoters of increased tolerance to water deficit in P. peruviana plants. Plants grown under well hydrated conditions (FC of 70±5%) were sprayed with proline (10 and 20 mM) or sodium nitroprusside (25 and 50 μM) and evaluated after exposure to water deficit (FC of 20±5%). Plants cultivated under water deficit without pretreatment showed reductions in the variables of water relations, gas exchange and growth. Proline and sodium nitroprusside were effective in maintaining less negative water potential, contributing to improvements in gas exchange, such as CO2 assimilation, stomatal conductance and transpiration. Thus, it was possible to measure greater tolerance to water deficit in pretreated plants and, consequently, greater biomass accumulation. It appeard that pretreatment of proline and sodium nitroprusside can have a priming effect against water deficit in P. peruviana plants.

Abstract The objective of this work was to estimate the genetic parameters and genetic divergence of two species of Physalis based on fruit traits, as well as the correlations between these traits. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block, with three treatments (P. philadelphica and the green and purple varieties of P. ixocarpa), and six replicates. The following traits were evaluated: average fruit mass (AFM), soluble solids (SS), longitudinal fruit diameter (LFD), transversal fruit diameter (TFD), total fruit mass (TFM), number of fruit per plant (NF), reducing sugars (RS), and total sugars (TS). Genetic divergence was estimated by Tocher’s and the UPGMA methods. There was genetic divergence between the Physalis species, with a higher contribution of AFM, LFD, and TFD, mainly by Tocher’s method. A positive correlation was observed between AFM x LFD, AFM x TFD, and LFD x TFD, and a negative correlations between LFD x TFM, TFD x TFM, and NF x RS. The species were discriminated by total sugars. The AFM, LFD, TFD, and TS traits show significant genetic variation and high values of heritability; therefore, they are suitable targets for the genetic breeding of the evaluated Physalis species.