Evaluation of a Hexaploid Wheat Collection (Triticum aestivum L.) under Drought Stress Conditions Using Stress Tolerance Indices

Abstract

Wheat is the most important crop in the world which faces the global problem of drought. Its production is affected by water deficit after pollination in arid and semi-arid regions. An experiment was conducted to assess tolerance of 39 bread wheat genotypes to end-season drought. The experimental design was Randomized Complete Block in three replications and the drought tolerance indices (SSI, STI, TOL, MP and GMP) were calculated for grain yield. The cultivar Cambin produced the highest grain yield under normal irrigation by 369.19 g m-2 while Arina had the highest yield (223.35 g m-2) under drought stress conditions. Stress tolerance (TOL) introduced Hindukesh, Iran2355 and Iran6476 as drought tolerant genotypes. Also, results showed that grain yield under stress and non-stress environments were highly correlated with the mean productivity (MP), the geometric mean productivity (GMP) and tolerance index (TOL). These genotypes could be further used in crosses for genetic studies and breeding programs for improvement tolerance to drought.