Evaluation of some indigenous and foreign winter bread wheat cultivars for tolerance to early drought stress

In the study, the morpho-physiological and phyto-chemical properties of 10 domestic and 10 foreign winter bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties against drought stress that may occur in the early period were investigated. In this sense, greenhouse conditions were created in the laboratory environment by keeping them at 100% field capacity and 25% field capacity. Within the scope of the study, morpho-physiological and phyto-chemical properties such as leaf width, leaf length and their ratio (width/height), leaf chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, total chlorophyll and chlorophyll-a/b, root fresh weight, shoot fresh weight, root/shoot ratio, ELWR (excised leaf water retention), MTS (membrane thermo-stability), ambient-leaf temperature difference (OYSF), leaf ash content, leaf potassium (K+) content, carotenoid content, proline and total phenolic compound content. As a result of the analysis, decreases were observed in leaf width and length, chlorophyll-b and chlorophyll-a/b, root and shoot fresh weight, MTS, OYSF, leaf ash content and leaf K+ content with drought stress. Increases were observed in leaf width/length, chlorophyll-a, total chlorophyll, root/shoot ratio, ELWR, carotenoid, proline and total phenolic contents. In addition, most of the applications and varieties in terms of the properties; again, it was determined that most of the properties showed statistical changes for application×variety interactions. Consequently, in addition to being used as morpho-physiological and phyto-chemical breeding criteria on the way to grain yield, in drought or other abiotic stress studies that may be experienced in the early period, field trials and similar greenhouse trials should be carried out together by increasing both the number of genotypes and applications that it will be better in terms of health and the precision of the studies. In addition, it is understood that Miranda, one of the cultivars investigated in the study, can be conveniently used as a parent for breeding studies in drought stress, in terms of most parameters.