Desiccation is the final result of dehydration and the water status is equilibrated with air. Dehydration implies that whole plants or detached organs encounter a steady water loss and are often kept in the air to lose water. Therefore complete dehydration (desiccation) is used to describe the stressed status of plants. The pattern of changes in the weights of leaves in response to water stress was investigated in nine amaranth cultivars. The leaves were detached, imbibed in distilled water for 2 hours, and desiccated by air in Petri dishes for up to 1 hour, followed by drying in the oven for about 5 hours, a continuous decrease of leaves weight were observed. Therefore, we analyzed leaves' weight changes, water deficits, and transpiration rates under desiccation-drying treatment.

Significant differences were detected between transpiration rates and water deficits with time and correlation significant between a decline in leaves weight (increase in water losses) and water deficits with a time of treatment. The results showed high transpiration rates as well as water losses. Transpiration rate plays important role in plant survival under severe water deficit while the water loss rate of detached leaves is an indicator of the ability of a cultivar to maintain yield under field conditions.

Keywords: Water deficit, leaves weight changes, water loss, transpiration rates, amaranth cultivars, imbibition-desiccation–drying treatment.