Voleti, S.R.Kasturi Bai, K.V.Rajagopal, V.Shivashankar, S.2014-09-152014-09-151990-12Journal of Plantation Crops 18(2) : 88-95, December 1990http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/5703Response of two tails (West Coast Tall, WCT, and Laccadive Ordinary, LO) two dwarfs (Chowghat Orange Dwarf, COD and Gangabondam, GB) and four hybrids viz., WCT x COD, COD x WCT, LO x GB and LO x COD of coconut to moisture stress simulated with an osmoticum of 30% polyethylene glycol (PEG - 6000 mol. wt) and air desiccation for similar period of 24 h was investigated. The two methods of simulation had differential effect on the genotypes. In general the relative water content (RWC) of leaves of all the genotypes was reduced more due to air desiccation than the osmotic stress. However the accumulation of proline did not differ much between the two types of stress simulation, except in the dwarfs which exhibited higher proline content in PEG - stressed leaves than in air desiccated ones. There was inverse relationship between RWC and proline accumulation. The data revealed that proline content is not associated with drought tolerance in coconut.enArticle