MORPHOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL DIVERSITY AND RESPONSE OF EGYPTIAN FABA BEAN TO HEAT AND DROUGHT STRESSES

Abstract

Four Egyptian faba bean (Vicia faba L.) varieties ("Giza843", "Giza716", “Misr1” and “Sakha1”) have been evaluated under heat and drought stresses using seventeen morphological traits and total protein content. Analysis of variance of the morphological trait revealed highly significant differences among treatments and genotypes for all studied traits and the interaction between genotypes and treatment was also significant. Both varieties "Giza716" and "Giza843" gave the highest means for most of the morphological traits. The control treatment surpass all the other treatments in the most of the morphological traits. The lowest significant means were obtained from the heat with drought treatment while the effect of heat on the morphological traits was less than the effect of drought stress. According to the cluster analysis of both morphological and biochemical data, the varieties "Giza716" and "Giza843" were clustered together on one group where the varieties “Misr1” and “Sakha1” were clustered in another group. A protein band of molecular weight of about 76 kDa was noticed in the protein pattern of the variety "Giza716" (heat with drought treatment) and of about 100 kDa was obtained in the protein pattern of the variety "Giza843" (heat with drought treatment). The morphological and biochemical parameters along with susceptibility test revealed that "Giza716" and "Giza843" appeared to be tolerant for drought and heat. However “Misr1” and “Sakha1” varieties appeared to be susceptible.