PROCEEDINGS OF VI. INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL, BIOLOGICAL, LIFE SCIENCE CONFERENCE AGBIOL 2024, Edirne, Turkey, 18 - 20 September 2024, pp.1740-1744
Cotyledons are the first photosynthetic organs of plants and play an important role in seedling growth. However, various biotic and abiotic factors can damage cotyledonary leaves shortly after seedling emergence. In this study conducted to determine the effect of cotyledon damage on seedling development in cotton plants, one (50% damage) and two (100% damage) of the cotyledons were removed from 15-day-old seedlings of cotton grown under laboratory conditions. No cotyledonary leaf damage was applied to the control group. Three weeks after the application, shoot length, stem diameter, leaf number, root length, shoot fresh and dry weight, and root fresh and dry weight were measured. The results showed that seedlings with a single cotyledon had higher shoot length by 0.9 cm, root fresh and dry weight by 22 mg plant-1 and 67 mg plant-1, respectively. Compared to control plants, root length decreased by 1 cm,stem diameter by 0.3 mm and shoot fresh and dry weight by 260 mg plant-1 and 100 mg plant-1, respectively. There was a significant decrease in other characteristics except leaf number in seedlings with both cotyledons removed. It was concluded that the cotton plants could tolerate moderately damaged cotyledon leaves, but development was significantly retarded in plants without cotyledons.
Keywords: Gossypium hirsutum L., cotyledon leaf damage, seedling growth