Features of Winter Common Wheat Water Regime in the Arid Conditions of the Rostov Region

Abstract

AbstractThe current paper is presenting the study results of the features of the water regime of winter common bread wheat leaves in the Rostov region and the selection of promising varieties with the best drought tolerance. The objects of the study are 14 winter common wheat varieties developed by the FSBSI ARC “Donskoy”. The leaves are selected in the fields in the period of head growth and flowering of winter common wheat. The water regime of plants is estimated by the method of L. S. Litvinov in the laboratory of plant physiology. The study of the way the plants utilize water during periods of insufficient moisture supply is of paramount importance for identifying and selecting the most adapted genotypes for an arid environment. According to the study results, there were identified the varieties ‘Don 107’, ‘Asket’ and ‘Kaprizulya’ with the largest increase in water-absorbing capacity (from 31.2 to 46.7%), a minimum increase in water deficit (1.0–1.7%), and the smallest decrease in the total water content in plant tissues (2.3–3.0%) due to water stress adaptability. These samples were recommended to introduce in the breeding process aimed at developing drought-resistant winter common wheat varieties.KeywordsWinter wheatWater regimeWater deficitAdaptabilityDrought toleranceWater absorbing capacityWater contentWater retaining capacityJEL ClassificationG1G180