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Evaluation of physiological markers for assessing drought tolerance and yield potential in bread wheat

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Abstract

Carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) has been recognized as a valuable phenotyping tool in wheat breeding. However, technical expertise and analysis cost restrict its large-scale use. We examined the associations of ash content (AC), minerals content (Ca, K, Mg, Fe and Mn) and leaf chlorophyll content (Chl) with grain Δ and grain yield (GY) to assess their potential as substitute to grain Δ. We evaluated 49 wheat genotypes under two water deficit regimes (W120 and W200) in a rain-out shelter. Leaf chlorophyll content (Chl) was strongly correlated with grain Δ and GY under moderate water deficit regime (W200). Significant and negative correlations (P < 0.01) of AC and potassium concentration (K) with grain Δ, and between AC and GY was observed under both water regimes, while manganese concentration (Mn) was negatively correlated with grain Δ under W120 regime only and magnesium concentration (Mg) correlated negatively under the W200 regime only. Grain Δ was correlated (P < 0.01) positively with photosynthesis rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs) and GY, while correlated negatively (P < 0.01) with intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) under both water regimes. Results confirm the role of grain Δ as an indirect selection criterion for drought tolerance under a wide range of drought conditions. Additionally, Chl is the most suitable trait to predict yield under moderate water deficit conditions. AC and K concentration in grain proved potentially useful and economical alternative criterion to grain Δ in the evaluation of differences in yield potential and drought tolerance in wheat under drought.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the sub-project of the 863 Program (2011AA100504, 2013AA102902) of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the key project of Chinese Universities Scientific Fund, Northwest A & F University (ZD2012002), of the Ministry of Education of China and the China 111 Project (B12007), as well as the ACIAR Project (CIM/2005/111) of Australia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agriculture, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Bahadur Sub-Campus, Layyah, Punjab, Pakistan

    Tauqeer Ahmad Yasir, Allah Wasaya, Muhammad Ijaz & Ahmad Nawaz

  2. Department of Agronomy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

    Mubshar Hussain & Omer Farooq

  3. Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Farooq

  4. The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Muhammad Farooq

  5. College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Muhammad Farooq

  6. State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China

    Yin-Gang Hu

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  1. Tauqeer Ahmad Yasir
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  2. Allah Wasaya
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  3. Mubshar Hussain
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  8. Yin-Gang Hu
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Correspondence to Tauqeer Ahmad Yasir or Yin-Gang Hu.

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Yasir, T.A., Wasaya, A., Hussain, M. et al. Evaluation of physiological markers for assessing drought tolerance and yield potential in bread wheat. Physiol Mol Biol Plants 25, 1163–1174 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-019-00694-0

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