Abstract
Due to its high tolerance to abiotic stress, barley (Hordeum vulgare) is cultivated in many arid areas of the world. In the present study, we evaluate the tolerance to water stress (drought) in nine accessions of “Ardhaoui” barley landraces from different regions of Tunisia. The genetic diversity of the accessions is evaluated with six SSR markers. Seedlings from the nine accessions are subjected to water stress by completely stopping irrigation for three weeks. A high genetic diversity is detected among the nine accessions, with no relationships between genetic distance and geographical or ecogeographical zone. The analysis of growth parameters and biochemical markers in the water stress-treated plants in comparison to their respective controls indicated great variability among the studied accessions. Accession 2, from El May Island, displayed high tolerance to drought. Increased amounts of proline in water-stressed plants could not be correlated with a better response to drought, as the most tolerant accessions contained lower levels of this osmolyte. A good correlation was established between the reduction of growth and degradation of chlorophylls and increased levels of malondialdehyde and total phenolics. These biochemical markers may be useful for identifying drought tolerant materials in barley.
Highlights
IntroductionMunns et al [1] highlighted that barley is the most salt tolerant cereal, and its tolerance to drought or biotic stresses such as fungal disease is well-known [2]
Among cereals, barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is outstanding for its tolerance to various stresses.Munns et al [1] highlighted that barley is the most salt tolerant cereal, and its tolerance to drought or biotic stresses such as fungal disease is well-known [2]
Drought is the most adverse abiotic factor affecting crops, and even the most optimistic scenarios forecast that in many regions of the world it will get worse in the future, due to the global warming [29]
Summary
Munns et al [1] highlighted that barley is the most salt tolerant cereal, and its tolerance to drought or biotic stresses such as fungal disease is well-known [2]. Barley is an important crop in Tunisia, where it is cultivated on 450,000 hectares in all of the country’s natural regions, amounting to 34–38% of the cereal cultivated area [17]. In southern Tunisia, where precipitation is very low, barley is the predominant cereal due to its tolerance to drought stress. In this region, there are many landraces, such as those included in the “Ardhaoui”, “Beldi”, “Djebali”, “Djerbi”, “Frigui”,
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