Résumé
Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L. R. Br.) is a well-adapted crop to dry conditions, and it is grown in arid and semiarid regions of Africa and Asia. Thus far, only a limited number of pearl millet genotypes have been studied in the expression of early stomatal closure with both soil drying and vapor pressure deficit. Nevertheless, these studies showed major difference between the studied lines. The water pathway in the plant was found to have a large impact on hydraulic conductivity and expression of the response to vapor pressure deficit. Further, higher hydraulic conductivity of the root was closely linked with increase in expression of several aquaporin genes. A major outcome of these studies was that water use difference between genotypes in the reproductive stages of plant growth allowed for yield increase.