Response of Piper species to water stress

Experiments were conducted to assess the relative response of different Piper species viz., P. nigrum, P. colubrinum, P. chaba, P. longum and P. hymenophyllum to water stress. The various parameters studied included relative water content (RWC), cell membrane leakage, catalase, peroxidase, super oxide dismutase (SOD) and acid phosphatase activities. Catalase and acid phosphatase activities decreased while peroxidase activity increased during stress. Days taken for wilting showed a significant positive correlation with relative water content, significant negative correlation with peroxidase activity and membrane leakage and no significant correlation with catalase and SOD activities. Among the species studied, P. colubrinum wilted fast, showed high membrane leakage, very high peroxidase activity and low relative water content during stress period compared to other species indicating that it is very susceptible. This is the first report on the influence of water stress on different Piper species.