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Abstract
The objective of this paper was to verify the accumulation of free proline in leaves of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp), cv. EMAPA-821, when subjected to water stress. The experiment was conducted under green house conditions in Botucatu, SP, Brasil, 22º52' south latitude, 48º26' west longitude and 800 m of altitude. The experimental design was a randomized block with seven treatments and consisted of suspending irrigation of plants in various developing phases (vegetative, preflowering and grain filling) for a differente number of days. Leaves dry matter was taken in seven collects, with a ten-day interval and leaf proline concentration was determined and expressed as mmol/g dry weight. With the development of water deficits, free proline accumulated in the leaves. The greatest increases in proline occurred in those treatments with the longest water deficit periods but after rewatering, the plants exhibited lower levels of this aminoacid. The results suggest that proline accumulation may play an important role in the maintenance of turgor of the plants, which enable them to partially resist drought conditions during their development.Downloads
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Copyright (c) 2000 Maysa de Lima Leite, Jorim Sousa das Virgens Filho, João Domingos Rodrigues

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