?STUDIES ON WATER UPTAKE, GERMINATION AND SEEDLING GROWTH OF WHEAT GENOTYPES UNDER PEG-6000 INDUCED WATER STRESS
Keywords:
Water uptake, Germination, Wheat genotypes, Induced water stress.Abstract
Eight wheatgenotypesweretestedforcaryopseswateruptake,germinationandseedlinggrowthunderPEG-6000
induced water stress (0.0, -0.50, -0.75, and -1.100 MPa). Caryopses were surface sterilized and planted on moistened
filterpaperwiththerespectivesolutionsin9em petri-dishesandinglassjars overnylonnet.Afterplanting,petri-dishes
or glass bowls were placed in a growth chamber maintained at 30125°Cday/night temperature and 16hrphotoperiod.
Wateruptakereachedapeakvaluewithin24-30hrinal\ genotypesunderal\ waterstressconditions.Water imbibition,
germination percentage and seedling growth decreased with concomitent reduction in water potential of the medium.
The genotypes, Chakwal-86, DS-4,Barani-83andC-228 performedcomparativelybetterthanDS-17,Pavon, LU-26S
and Sarsabz under our experimental conditions.