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Open Access

ARTICLE

Effects of Water Stress on the Morpho-Physiological Characteristics of Gossypium hirsutum (Cotton) and Abutilon theophrasti (Velvetleaf)

Argyrios Kalaitzidis1, Anastasia Zotou1, Dimitra Loka2, Paraskevi Mpeza1, Persephone Archimandriti1, Nicholas E. Korres1,*
1 Department of Agriculture, School of Agriculture, University of Ioannina, Arta, Greece
2 Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops, ELGO-DIMITRA, 1 Theofrastou st., Larisa, Greece
* Corresponding Author: Nicholas E. Korres. Email: email
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Plant Responses to Abiotic Stress)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2026.081379

Received 01 March 2026; Accepted 03 May 2026; Published online 15 May 2026

Abstract

The effects of water stress on the morphophysiological and biochemical characteristics of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) were investigated in a pot experiment under greenhouse conditions. Both species were exposed to four irrigation levels: no stress (1000 mL H2O), mild stress (800 mL H2O), moderate stress (600 mL H2O), and severe stress (400 mL H2O), with treatments applied every 2 days over a period of eight weeks. The results demonstrated the negative impacts of water stress, especially under moderate and severe conditions. Specifically, there was a reduction in height and dry weight in both species, with cotton plants exhibiting greater reductions, ranging from 9–38.6% in height and 40.1–62.1% in dry weight. Compared to the control, velvetleaf responded to water stress more mildly, with reductions in height and dry weight ranging from 3–19.3% and 7–44.3%, respectively. A 2.5- and 2-fold reduction in the root dry weight was also recorded for cotton and velvetleaf, respectively. Chlorophyll content in severely stressed cotton plants (400 mL) decreased by ~45% compared to initial values, while velvetleaf maintained relatively stable chlorophyll concentrations across all irrigation treatments. Notably, severely stressed velvetleaf plants resorted to leaf abscission at the fourth week after treatment (WAT). Finally, an increase in proline and total phenolic content was observed as a response to water stress. Specifically, proline increased by ~505% in cotton (WAT 6) and ~567% in velvetleaf (WAT 4). Total phenolics peaked at WAT 3, with increases of ~145% and ~120% in cotton and velvetleaf, respectively, before subsequently declining by ~75% in cotton and ~58% in velvetleaf.

Keywords

Abiotic stress; antioxidants; chlorophyll; total phenolics; proline; biomass; growth stage

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