Leaf water potential, RWC and Water Deficit of RRIC 45 with different watered regimes are summarized in Table 1. Significant differences were observed between soil type, VAM fungi and watered regimes (F pr. <.001). Seedlings of RRIC 45 under stress competed with those with daily watered regimes. Seedlings in the wet regime recorded higher value of Ψ and RWC compared to seedlings in the drought regimes except with seedlings in the VAM fungi N4 experiment which recorded higher RWC in both soil type and higher Ψ in the non-sterilized soil in the drought regime respectively. The water deficit was consecutively higher in the drought seedlings compared to those from the wet regime with the exception of seedlings in the VAM fungi N4/S (10.14), N4/NS (2.72) and GD/NS (11.92) which recorded lower water deficit compared to their corresponding replicates from the wet regimes. The controls in sterile soil under both watering regimes experience almost the same amount of stress despite the large amount of differences in water deficit of plants under drought (-10.10). The highest level of stress was exhibited by seedlings of VAM fungi OP9 in the drought regime (Ψ = 5.07bar; RWC = 78.30%) and was followed by seedlings in the VAM fungi GD/NS (Ψ = 6.00bar; RWC = 80.08%).
Seedlings in the VAM fungi N4 had the highest mean Ψ and was significantly different from those from the other VAM fungi experiment (p > 0.05). The control experiment had the lowest Ψ and was not significantly different from that recorded with VAM fungi OP9 (p < 0.05). The RWC did not show any significant different among the VAM fungi evaluated (p < 0.05), however the VAM fungi N4 recorded the highest mean RWC while GD was lowest. The water deficit did not show any significant different among the VAM fungi evaluated (p < 0.05). However, the VAM fungi GD recording the highest mean water deficit while the least mean water deficit recorded by VAM fungi N4.
Table 1: Leaf water potential, Relative Water Content (RWC) and Water Deficit of RRIC 45 rubber seedlings with different water regimes
Table 2 summarizes the Ψ, RWC and Water Deficit of GT 1 rubber seedlings under different watering regimes in sterilized and non-sterilized soil. Significant differences were observed between soil type, VAM fungi and watering regimes (F pr. <.001). Seedlings from the drought regime recorded higher Ψ compared to those from the wet regime with the exception of seedlings from C/S (15.67bar), N4/NS (17.47bar) and OP9/S (15.33bar) which recorded higher Ψs than those from their corresponding replicates. Seedlings in the VAM fungi OP9/NS under the drought regime recorded the highest Ψ while VAM fungi N4/NS had the highest Ψ in the wet regime. The lowest Ψ (3.87bar) was recorded in the control experiment in the non-sterilized soil in the wet regime. Seedlings in the VAM fungi OP9 had the highest mean leaf water potential and was not significantly different from those from the other VAM fungi N4, GD and the control (p < 0.05).
The highest RWC were recorded from seedling from the wet regime compared to those from the weekly watering regime, except with seedlings from VAM fungi OP9/S (89.61%), GD/S (93.34%) and GD/NS (95.89%) where higher RWC were recorded in the drought regime than those recorded from the wet regimes. Seedlings in the drought regime recorded the highest RWC in the VAM fungi GD/NS. The control had the highest mean RWC and was not significantly different from the other VAM fungi N4, GD and OP9 (p < 0.05).
The lowest water deficit was recorded in the control experiment in the sterilized soil in the wet regime. Higher water deficit was exhibited by more replicates from the drought regime compared to the wet regime, with the exceptions of replicates from VAM fungi OP9/S, GD/S and GD/NS were higher water deficit were observed. The highest water deficit was recorded in the VAM fungi OP9/S in the d wet regime. The VAM fungi OP9 had the highest mean water deficit and was not significantly different from the other VAM fungi GD, N4 and OP9 (p < 0.05).
Table 2: Leaf Water Potential, Relative Water Content (RWC) and Water Deficit of GT1 rubber seedlings with different watering regimes