Evaluation of the efficiency of drought stress indices and identification of new drought-tolerant bread wheat lines

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Crop and Horticulture Sciences Research Department, Kermanshah Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Kermanshah, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Agriculture Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Crop and Horticulture Sciences Research Department, Kermanshah Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Kermanshah, Iran

4 Assistant Professor, Crop and Horticulture Sciences Research Department, Khorasan Razavi Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Khorasan Razavi, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important and strategic crops worldwide, playing a crucial role in global food security. According to statistics published in 2023, the global wheat cultivation area is estimated at approximately 220 million hectares. This crop is particularly vital in the arid and semi-arid regions of Iran, where developing cultivars resistant to environmental stresses is essential. Therefore, introducing new drought-tolerant wheat varieties remains a key priority in national agricultural research programs. Various drought stress indices have been developed and extensively studied in scientific research to identify drought-resistant genotypes. The objective of the present study was to evaluate drought resistance and tolerance at the end of the growing season in selected sixth-generation genotypes using stress indices. Given the large number of genotypes (165), this study also provides a comprehensive comparison of the efficiency of different drought stress indices.
 
Materials and methods
A total of 165 bread wheat genotypes, including four control cultivars, were evaluated. The genotypes were selected from two groups, with one group consisting of inbred lines developed at the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Karaj and the other including genotypes derived from international CIMMYT trials. The genotypes were grown in two geographical regions, Neishabur and Kermanshah. Neishabur represented the drought-stress environment, where irrigation was withheld at the wheat flowering stage. An augmented design was employed to evaluate and compare the genotypes, including four control cultivars. In this study, all widely cited drought stress indices reported up to the time of writing were calculated, and their effectiveness was assessed in evaluating the drought tolerance of the genotypes.
 
Results and discussion
Analysis of grain yield under both stress and non-stress conditions using two-dimensional distribution diagrams showed that genotypes No. 125, 106, 92, 76, 73, 71  and 62 exhibited the highest yields under non-stress conditions while maintaining above-average performance under drought stress. Genotypes No. 103, 55, 56, 62, and 6 had the highest performance under terminal drought stress and also performed above average under normal conditions. Furthermore, based on the distribution diagram and performance analysis, genotypes 62 and 71 demonstrated good and relatively high yield performance under both normal and drought stress conditions. Based on the indices used, Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP) and Harmonic Mean (HARM) showed the highest efficiency for selecting drought-tolerant genotypes.
 
Conclusion
Overall, the results of this study indicated that some genotypes could be specifically selected for drought stress conditions and others for normal conditions, and subsequently carried forward to later generations for the development of new high-yielding cultivars. In addition, genotypes 62 and 71 were identified as highly suitable and dual-purpose genotypes for both drought stress and normal conditions. Furthermore, all drought tolerance indices reported in previous studies were calculated and evaluated, and the results revealed that among these indices, GMP and HARM showed the highest efficiency and discriminatory power in identifying genotypes suitable for both normal and drought stress conditions.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Environmental Stresses in Crop Sciences
Volume 19, Issue 1
February 2026
Pages 167-179

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History

  • Receive Date: 22 October 2024
  • Revise Date: 01 January 2025
  • Accept Date: 19 January 2025

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