Drought stress greatly affects the quality and yield of mulberry leaves, which eventually influences the production of silkworm cocoon. In this study, the effect of calcium chloride on drought tolerance of mulberry was investigated. Different concentrations of CaCl2 solutions were sprayed on the leaves of mulberry under drought condition, and the physiological and biochemical responses were measured. As a result, the spray of CaCl2 on leaves (CaCl2-spray-on-leaves) was proved to have gradual increases in measure parameters as compared to CaCl2-untreated case under the same drought condition; furthermore, 20mM CaCl2-treated group showed a significant increase (P<0.05), which indicates the optimal CaCl2 concentration for improving the drought tolerance of mulberry. This study demonstrated that CaCl2-spray-on-leaves can be an effective measure to ameliorate the drought tolerance of mulberry in the severe-drought areas.
The Effect of Calcium Chloride on Drought Tolerance of Mulberry
