An Evaluation of Yield and Morphophysiological Parameters of Promising Wheat Genotypes under Rainfed Condition

One of the main reasons for yield reduction of rainfed wheat in cold and moderate-cold regions of Iran is drought stress at the end of the growth season. To identify drought resistant genotypes and evaluate some of their important traits in relation to drought tolerance of different bread wheat cultivars, a study was conducted in Sararood rainfed agricultural research station in Kermanshah province, Iran. In this study, drought tension resistance and morphophysiological parameters of 15 advanced genotypes (titled G1 to G15) and five control cultivars (Rijaw, Rasad, Sardari, Azar-2 and Ohadi) of bread wheat were examined following a randomized complete block design with three replications. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that there was a significant difference between genotypes in terms of grain yield (p≤0.05). Under the rainfed condition, the most productive genotype was the newly introduced Rijavo variety. However, genotypes 1 and 8 were better than Sardari and Azar-2 cultivars, and genotypes 1 and 2 showed higher yield than Ohadi cultivar. Genotype 5 demonstrated the highest amount of growth rate. The lowest amount of water loss was observed in genotype 5 at the stemming stage and in genotypes 7 and 11 at the seed filling stage. The highest remobilization level was also obtained from genotypes 3, 11 and 6 and from Oahdi and Sardari cultivars, respectively. In general, genotypes 1, 3, 4, and 7 were better than other genotypes. From among the cultivars studied, Rijjaw was the best cultivar in most of the parameters. Therefore, it is possible to improve wheat yield under drought tension conditions.