Screening of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) cultivars for water stress

A pot culture study was conducted to investigate the influence of water stress on relative water content and membrane stability of black pepper cultivars from January 1997 to March 1997. Water stress was imposed on eight month old rooted black pepper cuttings planted in polythene bags. Among the forty four varieties/cultivars grown in polythene bags, 15 wilted by second day of water stress and only six varieties viz., Kallwally-4, Kumbakodi, Padarpan, Parmiyur-5, Poonjarmunda and uthirankotta-2 survived even after four days of water stress. These varieties also showed high relative water content (RWC) and membrane stability (MS) under water stress.