Screening for pre- and post-anthesis drought responses in selected bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes

ABSTRACT

Wheat genotypes with pre- and post-anthesis drought tolerance offer enhanced yield gains under water-limited environments. This study determined pre- and post-anthesis drought responses of selected bread wheat genotypes in order to identify and select candidate genotypes for breeding. Fifteen genetically differentiated wheat genotypes were evaluated under non-stressed (NS), pre-anthesis drought stress (PrADS) and post-anthesis drought stress (PoADS) in glasshouse (GH) and field (FLD) environments. Data were collected on agronomic and physiological traits including number of days to heading (DTH), days to maturity (DTM), plant height (PH), number of spikelet per spike (NSPS), number of kernels per spike (NKPS), thousand kernel weight (TKW), grain yield (GY) and canopy temperature (CT). Analysis of variance revealed significant effects of genotypes, environments and their interactions for studied traits. Weak and positive correlations were recorded between GY with PH (r?=?0.47 and 0.32), NSPS (r?=?0.37 and 0.52) and TKW (r?=?0.30 and r?=?0.20) under PrADS and PoADS conditions, respectively. Genotypes SMY-006, SMY-008, SMY-016, SMY-042 and SMY-044 were identified with pre- and post-anthesis drought tolerance and high yield potential and suitable yield-component traits. These are useful genetic stocks for breeding or cultivation in water-limited environments to improve yield gains.