Stomatal Responses of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) Genotypes, in Relation to Abscisic Acid and Water Stress

Stomatal responses to water stress and to applied (±)-abscisicacid (ABA) were examined in genotypes of pearl millet (Pennisetumamericanum (L.) Leeke) known to differ in amounts of endogenousABA accumulating during drought. In both a pot and a field experiment,Serere 39, a genotype with a high capacity to accumulate ABA,showed a higher stomatal sensitivity to water stress than didthe ‘low’ ABA accumulator, BJ 104. In the fieldexperiment, a third genotype, B282, accumulating least amountsof ABA, also had the lowest stomatal sensitivity to water stress. There were no significant differences between these genotypesin stomatal response to applied (±)-ABA, or in the relationshipsbetween leaf conductance and levels of endogenous ABA. It isconcluded that the differences in accumulation of endogenousABA by these genotypes of pearl millet are of functional significance,and that endogenous ABA generated during a water stress whichdevelops over days or weeks mediates stomatal responses to suchstress.