MORPHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF THE DIFFERENT ECOTYPES OF Sporobolus iocladus (Poaceae) UNDER VARIOUS LEVELS OF DROUGHT STRESS

Sporobolus iocladus (Poaceae) is one of the most important perennial grasses in Cholistan's desert of Pakistan, invading and thriving with great potential. In current research work six ecotypes of Sporobolus iocladus were collected from different locations of Cholistan desert and then grown in pots against different level of drought stress. Four treatments were applied i.e. T1= 100% water holding capacity (Control), T2=75% water holding capacity, T3= 50% water holding capacity and T4= 25% water holding capacity. Ecotype DG showed best response with respect to leaf area index (LAI), no of tillers, plants height (PH), root length (RL) and transpiration rate (TR) against highest drought stress T4. While highly positive and significant correlation among given parameters depicts that these attributes can be used to evaluate and improve biomass production.