Table 3. Effects of PEG-induced water deficit stress on the leaf major and minor vein thickness of newly developed leaves of two rice varieties at the vegetative stage.
| Varieties | Treatment | Major vein thickness (mm) | Minor vein thickness (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanyou-3 | WWC | 0.256 ± 0.006a | 0.120 ± 0.007a |
| PEG-IWDS5% | 0.238 ± 0.003a | 0.093 ± 0.002b | |
| PEG-IWDS10% | 0.207 ± 0.006b | 0.100 ± 0.001ab | |
| PEG-IWDS15% | 0.172 ± 0.002c | 0.101 ± 0.001ab | |
| IR-64 | WWC | 0.177 ± 0.006a | 0.098 ± 0.002a |
| PEG-IWDS5% | 0.158 ± 0.004a | 0.092 ± 0.001a | |
| PEG-IWDS10% | 0.168 ± 0.003a | 0.092 ± 0.001a | |
| PEG-IWDS15% | 0.152 ± 0.002a | 0.096 ± 0.001a | |
| ANOVA | |||
| Treatment (T) | *** | ns | |
| Varieties (V) | *** | ns | |
| T × V | * | ns | |
Water deficit stress was simulated by adding 5, 10 or15% (W/V) PEG6000 to the nutrient solution.
WWC, well-watered condition; PEG-IWDS, PEG-induced water deficit stress. The data are presented as the means ± SE with 3 replicates. ns, not significant; *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. The data followed by the different letters of each variety within a single column are significant at P < 0.05 level.