Drought Effects on Physiological Traits of 1-MCP-Treated Cotton Plants

Ethylene action inhibitor, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), is applied in many horticultural crops to counter the negative effects of ethylene on plants. Under stress, cotton plants (Gossypium hirsutum L.) synthesize higher levels of ethylene resulting in potential reduced growth. The objective of this study was to evaluate the consequences of 1-MCP treatment under two water regimes on physiological parameters as biomass accumulation and ethylene production. A greenhouse study was conducted in 2008 at Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, as a randomized complete block design with 5 replications. When plants averaged 16 nodes, they were exposed to two rates of 1-MCP gas (0, and 1,000 ppb) while placed inside sealed plastic tents during 9 h. overnight and then submitted to two water regimes (well watered, and water stressed) in greenhouse. Overall, under water stress, most all 1-MCP treated cotton plants showed a numerical decrease in ethylene production. However, this reduction in ethylene levels seemed not to be reflected in significant differences over biomass parameters.