Abstract
Over the Water deficit is considered to be one of the most important limiting factors for crop productivity worldwide. Thus, it is important to use water resources more efficiently. One of the ways to conserve water and respond to the climate change is by using appropriate crop species and cultivars, notably which have low requirements for water.Chemical mutagens have contributed immensely to the development of a wide range of genetic variability and the improvement of several crop plants, including durum wheat. This study has the aim of understanding the effect of water stress on some morpho-physiological parameters and identifying tolerant lines to water stress from an EMS-mutated population in durum wheat. The results, under moderate (T1) and severe (T2) conditions of water stress,show the positive effect of mutagenesis on the population resulting in tolerantmutated linesto water deficit. Compared to the non-mutated, 32.15% of lines have a higher specific leaf weight; 57.14% of lines have a better ability to maintain a high water content and 75% of all lines demonstrate a very high intensity of chlorophyll fluorescence .In sum, this study has revealed the improvement of water stress tolerance in some induced durum wheat mutants.
Highlights
Durum wheat (Triticumturgidum L. ssp. durum) is a vital cereal crop that provides substantial economic output in the Mediterranean region[1]
Compared to the non-mutated, 32.15% of lines have a higher specific leaf weight; 57.14% of lines have a better ability to maintain a high water content and 75% of all lines demonstrate a very high intensity of chlorophyll fluorescence .In sum, this study has revealed the improvement of water stress tolerance in some induced durum wheat mutants
Mutagenesis by Ethyl Methyl Sulfonates (EMS) has made it possible to create variability in the mutated population, and to screen new genotypes that are tolerant to conditions of water lack
Summary
Durum wheat (Triticumturgidum L. ssp. durum) is a vital cereal crop that provides substantial economic output in the Mediterranean region[1]. The water deficit is a big challenge for plant breeders around the world who need to develop cultivars which could sustain such stress conditions without significant yield loss[6], [7].In drought conditions, plants usually respond in the form of stunted growth due to its adverse effects on different molecular, biochemical, physiological and morphological processes of the plant. Such changes are totally related to the growth stage, time and severity of environmental stresses[8], [9]
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