Grain yield response of drought stressed wheat to foliar application of glycine betaine

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to investigate influence of exogenous application of glycine betaine (GB) on performance of wheat under prolonged drought conditions. A set of 19 wheat genotypes differing in stress sensitivity, were sprayed with 100mM GB at maximum tillering and anthesis stage. GB treatment significantly declined the phenological pace under drought stress by increasing days to anthesis. Foliar applied GB improved grains/spike and thousand grain weight of selected wheat genotypes over stressed ones. The genotype specific response to GB application suggested some threshold optimum level to be necessary for yield improvement under drought stress in susceptible genotypes as compared with tolerant ones. In overall, GB alleviated negative effects of drought stress by a rise in harvest index of most genotypes suggesting its role in assimilate translocation.