Knowing the importance of the rootstocks for the success of the citrus crop and its influence on tolerance to stress factors, this study was conducted in order to evaluate tolerance of citrus rootstocks to water stress studying two factors: water management ('without stress' and 'under stress' and in this latter case, the irrigation was based on 50 and 25% moisture of field capacity) and rootstocks factor (10 citrus genotypes provided by Citrus Breeding Program of Embrapa Cassava and Tropical Fruits). A randomized block design was adopted with three replications and 15 plants per plot. Shoot, leaves, stem, root and total dry mass, root/shoot ratio, leaf weight ratio and relative yield were evaluated. Water deficit reduced the total dry mass and increased the root/shoot ratio in some rootstocks. Leaf dry mass is the most sensible variable in citrus rootstocks under water deficit. 'TSKFL CTTR x-017' has a significant capacity of tolerance to drought, with promising potential for use in areas under drought conditions.
Citrus spp; hybrids; water deficit; tolerance
