Genetics of index of drought resistance and seedling survival after desiccation associated with drought tolerance in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a major cereal crop is constrained by drought in many regions of the world. Because of severe limitations imposed by drought, development of cultivars with improved productivity under water stress is important for affected regions. But, the development of drought tolerant cultivars is hindered by lack of understanding of the mechanisms of drought tolerance and reliable selection techniques [1]. Although drought is a complex phenomenon, the different parameters influencing it were found to be under genetic control. It is, therefore essential to understand the genetic m~chanism of the parameters associated with drought tolerance for its incorporation in a variety to obtain increased yield under moisture stress conditions. Two parameters viz., index of drought resistance (lOR) and seedling survival after desiccation (SSAD) used by Rand and Sharma [2] and Tomar and Kumar [3], respectively in their study for drought tolerance in wheat were also investigated here for their genetic control.