Growth response of Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and Zea mays to chilling temperature

ABDULKHALIQ A. AL-SHOAIBI

Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, P.O. Box 300 02 Saudi Arabia.

ABSTRACT: Pennisetum purpureum is a fast-growing C4 crops. During winter, chilling temperature that reaches 12°C represents a major problem for the growth and productivity of P. purpureum in AL-Madinah AL-Munawwarah, the western part of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The objective of this work is to study the effect of chilling temperature on growth rates of both P. purpureum and Zea mays. The results obtained indicate that chilling temperature significantly reduces all the growth parameters of Z. Mays, but only reduced leaf extension, leaf area, and chlorophyll content of P. purpureum. Roots of both P. purpureum and Z. mays showed higher resistance to the chilling temperature than shoots when compared to the control. This study showed that the growth rate and productivity of P. purpureum at chilling temperature were greater than that of Z. mays.

KEYWORDS: Zea mays; Elephant grass; Pennisetum purpureum; chilling stress; plant growth

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