Research Article

Comparative Analysis of Morphological Responses to Drought Conditions in Some Apricot Cultivars

Number: Advanced Online Publication February 27, 2026
TR EN

Comparative Analysis of Morphological Responses to Drought Conditions in Some Apricot Cultivars

Abstract

Drought stress is one of the major limiting factors for apricot cultivation in semi-arid regions, where water availability is increasingly unreliable due to climate change. The drought sensitivity of commercially important cultivars such as ‘Hacıhaliloğlu’ poses a risk for sustainable apricot production in regions like Malatya. This study aimed to evaluate the morphological responses of 11 traditional, widely cultivated apricot cultivars and 1 wild seedling genotype (Çöğür) under full irrigation and no-irrigation treatments. An integrated damage index was calculated from five morphological traits (shoot length, leaf area, specific leaf weight, and fresh and dry weights) to quantify drought sensitivity. Morphological traits, including shoot length, leaf area, specific leaf weight, plant fresh and dry weight, were measured. Individual stress tolerance indices and an overall damage index were calculated to assess drought sensitivity among cultivars. Significant genotypic variation in morphological sensitivity to drought was observed. Hacıhaliloğlu exhibited the highest cumulative damage index (169.34), followed by Şalak (145.26) and Çöloğlu (137.58), indicating pronounced susceptibility. In contrast, Kabaaşı (104.29), Hasanbey (108.33), and Soğancı (112.64) demonstrated superior drought resilience. Trait-specific responses showed severe reductions in leaf area (35.68%) and shoot length (35.80%) in Hacıhaliloğlu, while Kabaaşı maintained relatively stable biomass, with limited declines in fresh (18.99%) and dry weight (27.56%). Tokaloğlu recorded the smallest reduction in specific leaf weight (6.53%). The total damage index of Hacıhaliloğlu was approximately 60% higher than Kabaaşı. These findings emphasize the variability in drought tolerance among traditional apricot cultivars, highlighting Kabaaşı and Hasanbey as promising candidates for cultivation in drought-prone regions. In contrast, the high commercial value cultivar Hacıhaliloğlu may exhibit limited long-term adaptive capacity under reduced irrigation, posing a potential risk to the sustainability of apricot production in water-limited environments. This study provides valuable insights for cultivar selection, regional adaptation, and breeding programs targeting drought tolerance. Further research on the use of drought-tolerant cultivars as rootstocks could improve stress mitigation strategies in apricot orchards. However, as this study was conducted under greenhouse pot conditions, the findings should be interpreted within this context and validated under orchard conditions to ensure broader applicability.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

TÜBİTAK

Project Number

120O669

Ethical Statement

We declare that the study does not require the approval of an ethics committee

Thanks

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) under the research project No. 120O669

References

  1. Abbaspour, H., Saeidi-Sar, S., & Afshari, H. (2011). Improving drought tolerance of Pistacia vera L. seedlings by arbuscular mycorrhiza under greenhouse conditions. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 5(32), 7010–7018. https://doi.org/10.5897/jmpr11.1448
  2. Abdolahipour, M., Kamgar-Haghighi, A. A., Sepaskhah, A. R., Zand-Parsa, S., Honar, T., & Razzaghi, F. (2019). Time and amount of supplemental irrigation at different distances from tree trunks influence on morphological characteristics and physiological responses of rainfed fig trees under drought conditions. Scientia Horticulturae, 253, 241–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2019.04.023
  3. Ahmed, Ch. B., Rouina, B. B., Sensoy, S., Boukhris, M., & Abdallah, F. B. (2009). Changes in gas exchange, proline accumulation and antioxidative enzyme activities in three olive cultivars under contrasting water availability regimes. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 67(2), 345–352. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.envexpbot.2009.07.006
  4. Aljemaa, B. A. (2020). Determination of Morphological, Physiological, and Biochemical Responses of Some Pistacia Genotypes to Drought Stress[PhD Thesis, Selcuk University, Institute of Science, Department of Horticulture. Council of Higher Education National Thesis Center (Türkiye)]
  5. Asma, B. M., Yiğit, E., & Akça, Y. (1994). A study on the determination of tolerance of important apricot cultivars to low temperatures. Yuzuncu Yil University Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 4(1), 87–94
  6. Aydın, Y. (2022). Quantification of water requirement of some major crops under semi-arid climate in Turkey. PeerJ, 10, e13696. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13696
  7. Bakhoum, G. Sh., Sadak, M. Sh., & Thabet, M. S. (2023). Induction of Tolerance in Groundnut Plants Against Drought Stress and Cercospora Leaf Spot Disease with Exogenous Application of Arginine and Sodium Nitroprusside Under Field Conditions. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 23(4), 6612–6631. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-023-01514-x
  8. Bashir, S. S., Hussain, A., Hussain, S. J., Wani, O. A., Zahid Nabi, S., Dar, N. A., Baloch, F. S., & Mansoor, S. (2021). Plant drought stress tolerance: Understanding its physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms. Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment, 35(1), 1912–1925. https://doi.org/10.1080/13102818.2021.2020161

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Plant Physiology, Pomology and Treatment

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

February 27, 2026

Publication Date

February 27, 2026

Submission Date

September 16, 2025

Acceptance Date

October 30, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: Advanced Online Publication

APA
Kutsal, İ. K., & Karlıdağ, H. (2026). Comparative Analysis of Morphological Responses to Drought Conditions in Some Apricot Cultivars. Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Tarım Ve Doğa Dergisi, Advanced Online Publication, 996-1012. https://doi.org/10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.1785217
AMA
1.Kutsal İK, Karlıdağ H. Comparative Analysis of Morphological Responses to Drought Conditions in Some Apricot Cultivars. KSU J. Agric Nat. 2026;(Advanced Online Publication):996-1012. doi:10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.1785217
Chicago
Kutsal, İbrahim Kutalmış, and Hüseyin Karlıdağ. 2026. “Comparative Analysis of Morphological Responses to Drought Conditions in Some Apricot Cultivars”. Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Tarım Ve Doğa Dergisi, no. Advanced Online Publication: 996-1012. https://doi.org/10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.1785217.
EndNote
Kutsal İK, Karlıdağ H (February 1, 2026) Comparative Analysis of Morphological Responses to Drought Conditions in Some Apricot Cultivars. Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Tarım ve Doğa Dergisi Advanced Online Publication 996–1012.
IEEE
[1]İ. K. Kutsal and H. Karlıdağ, “Comparative Analysis of Morphological Responses to Drought Conditions in Some Apricot Cultivars”, KSU J. Agric Nat., no. Advanced Online Publication, pp. 996–1012, Feb. 2026, doi: 10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.1785217.
ISNAD
Kutsal, İbrahim Kutalmış - Karlıdağ, Hüseyin. “Comparative Analysis of Morphological Responses to Drought Conditions in Some Apricot Cultivars”. Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Tarım ve Doğa Dergisi. Advanced Online Publication (February 1, 2026): 996-1012. https://doi.org/10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.1785217.
JAMA
1.Kutsal İK, Karlıdağ H. Comparative Analysis of Morphological Responses to Drought Conditions in Some Apricot Cultivars. KSU J. Agric Nat. 2026;:996–1012.
MLA
Kutsal, İbrahim Kutalmış, and Hüseyin Karlıdağ. “Comparative Analysis of Morphological Responses to Drought Conditions in Some Apricot Cultivars”. Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Tarım Ve Doğa Dergisi, no. Advanced Online Publication, Feb. 2026, pp. 996-1012, doi:10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.1785217.
Vancouver
1.İbrahim Kutalmış Kutsal, Hüseyin Karlıdağ. Comparative Analysis of Morphological Responses to Drought Conditions in Some Apricot Cultivars. KSU J. Agric Nat. 2026 Feb. 1;(Advanced Online Publication):996-1012. doi:10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.1785217


International Peer Reviewed Journal
Free submission and publication
Published 6 times a year



88x31.png


KSU Journal of Agriculture and Nature

e-ISSN: 2619-9149