Effect of flooding stress on seedling growth and protein profile of roots in maize

Seedlings of three maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars (Parbhat, Paras and Navjot) were exposed to flooding under laboratory conditions for 24h at 7, 14 and 21 days after emergence. Excess moisture stress adversely affected growth parameters such as root length, shoot length, leaf chlorophyll content, seedling fresh and dry weight. Electrophoretic studies of the root proteins indicated repression of some proteins due to flooding. Pre-treatment of seedlings with CoCl₂ (10 and 15mg ml⁻¹) and KCl (1%) ameliorated the adverse effects of flooding and restored protein pattern to some extent.