الفهرس 
Effect of drought on growth and physiological characteristicsOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Foliar-applied α-Tocopherol (αTOC) or silymarin could provide a potential protection against drought stress in squash large-scale production. Two-season field experiments were consecutively conducted in 2020 and 2021 to study the effect of 0.5 and 1 mM αTOC or 0.2 and 0.4 mM silymarin foliar application on growth, yield, plant water relations, photosynthetic efficiency, osmoprotectants and water use efficiency (WUE) of squash under three levels of irrigation (I100=100%, I80=80% and I60=60% of crop evapotranspiration; (ETc). Deficit irrigation substantially inhibited growth and productivity of squash plants. Foliar application of αTOC or silymarin enhanced drought stress tolerance in squash plants by improving photosynthetic efficiency of plant water status as evaluated by membrane stability index and relative water content. These results were positively reflected by improving plant growth, productivity and WUE under drought stress conditions. These findings have practical implications for the development of sustainable management approaches in crop production, particularly in scenarios with limited irrigation water. In the future, the application of αTOC or silymarin could potentially serve as a growth regulator, offering a potential alternative for improving plant growth and productivity under deficit irrigation by 20–40%