Effects of drought on the physiological parameters of fruit crops leaves

Development of the modern horticulture is impossible without studying the adaptive capabilities of crops cultivars and hybrids. Drought is one of the major factors, which negatively influence on plants growth and development in summer period. This stress factor results in disruption of the photosynthetic apparatus, changing the electron flux, which facilitates the accumulation of free radicals. Activation of plant defense systems can suppress the development of oxidative stress. In this research, the physiological and biochemical characteristics of leaves under drought stress of different cultivars of pear, plum and cherry growing in the Krasnodar region during summer period were studied. It was found that in the driest month — august, the majority of cultivars were in the oxidative stress state, which resulted in an increase of the malondialdehyde content. The greatest adaptive potential to drought was noted in the pear cultivars Williams and Flamenco, as well as among the cherry cultivars there were Volshebnitsa and Sashenka. The better drought resistance characteristics among plum cultivars were detected in the control cultivar Stenley According to the obtained data, it was found that the decrease of chlorophylls content in leaves correlated with the increase of the carotenoid and malondialdehyde contents