Drought Resistance in Corn at Germination Stage

The study on drought resistance of eighteen maize varieties generalized now in Shanxi province in germination stage was conducted through adopting PEG solution simulated soil drought treatment.The results showed that the germinating vigor and germinating rate,the growth rate of embryo bud and root and the transformation percentage of stored substance were all decreased under water stress condition.There were significant differences on drought resistance among the varieties.The varieties with higher drought resistance kept higher vigor of germination and germination capacity.The vigor index of drought resisting and sprout index of drought resisting could well reflect the differences of drought resistance in all varieties.The drought resistance traits of maize in seedling germination stage could be reflected better by evaluating these indexes.