Morphological and physiological changes in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) subjected to water deficit

The present study deals with the changes in morphological characteristics and physiological parameters in two varieties (Vigna unguiculata L. cv Pusakomal and Vigna unguiculata L. cv Kanakamony) of mature cowpea plants subjected to water stress. The colour and total number of leaves, specific leaf area, shoot length, chlorophyll content and relative water content in both varieties of plants subjected to water stress showed a significant decrease than its corresponding controls, while the root spread and the proline content in the water stressed plants showed a significant increase. The changes in above mentioned parameters showed that kanakamony variety is much tolerant to water stress compared to Pusakomal variety.