Drought stress is a major constraint to wheat and barley production, causing oxidative damage, metabolic disturbances, and reduced crop productivity under changing climatic conditions. Understanding the physiological and biochemical mechanisms associated with drought tolerance is essential for identifying resilient cultivars and supporting the development of climate resilient cereal production systems. The physiological, biochemical and agronomic responses of two varieties of barley to two irrigation periods: P1 - irrigation every 15 days and P2 – irrigation every 20 days) were evaluated in the winter season 2024 at the University of Baghdad, using a randomised complete block design with factorial arrangement and three replications. Growth characters, activities of antioxidant enzymes (CAT, SOD and GPX) and yield attributes and grain yield were measured. Variety 1 was superior to variety 2 in agronomic performance. Variety 2 had significantly higher plant height (79.6 cm), leaf area (10.95 cm2), number of spikes (250.08 spikesm2), kernels per spike (48.9) and grain yield (4.63 t/ha) than variety 1. The second irrigation period (P2) improved plant height, number of spikes, number of kernels per spike and grain yield and the activities of SOD and GPX, indicating better antioxidant responses against oxidative stress. However, CAT activity was higher in P1, indicating higher detoxification of hydrogen peroxide in shorter irrigation intervals. In general, the interaction between Variety 2 and P2 yielded the highest values of growth, antioxidant activity and yield. These results indicated that Variety 2 had better physiological and biochemical mechanisms to cope with drought stress and produced more under prolonged irrigation interval.
Drought stress in agricultural land disrupts the physiological processes, growth, and yield of kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala). This study evaluated the physiological responses, growth, and yield of kale treated with salicylic acid, a potential strategy to enhance plant tolerance to drought stress, in a greenhouse at the Department of Agriculture, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang. A 4 × 4 factorial experiment was arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. The first factor was drought level (100%, 80%, 60%, and 40% field capacity). The second factor was salicylic acid (SA) concentration 0, 0.75, 1.5, and 2.25 mM). The results indicated that physiological responses (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, relative water content, and electrolyte leakage) remained largely stable under moderate drought stress (60% FC), whereas plant growth parameters (plant height, leaf number, and leaf area) were reduced by 14.5–20.7% compared with the control (100% FC). At 40% FC, both physiological and growth responses were more severely affected; electrolyte leakage increased markedly, and plant height, leaf area, and dry biomass weight decreased by 24.4%, 47.2%, and 60.5%, respectively, compared with the control (P < 0.05). The best treatment was the application of 1.5 mM salicylic acid, which increased the relative water content by 4.13% and decreased the electrolyte leakage by 34.70% compared to untreated plants (P < 0.05). This concentration was likely more effective due to optimal stomatal regulation, increased antioxidant enzyme activity, and maintained membrane integrity, indicating that 1.5 mM SA has potential as a biostimulant to improve kale water status and membrane stability. However, field validation across locations and seasons is needed before recommending it for dryland farming.
Rosyida Rosyida, A. Dinana, K. Karno et al.· Agro Bali: Agricultural Jour...· 0 citations
Developing drought-tolerant forage legumes adapted to saline-sodic soils is essential to sustaining livestock production in marginal environments. Pre-breeding programs allow the identification of useful genetic variation within naturalized populations for this purpose.
This study aimed to (i) compare the performance of half-sib families (HSFs) from a naturalized population of Lotus tenuis, with a commercial cultivar under drought stress, and (ii) identify key traits and promising materials for breeding.
Twenty HSFs and one cultivar were evaluated under controlled conditions in a factorial design with two water regimes (field capacity and drought). Morphological, physiological and biochemical traits were measured, including aerial dry biomass, number of branches, leaf temperature, ion concentrations (Na+, K+), relative water content and oxidative stress indicators. Narrow-sense heritability and genetic correlations were estimated, and multivariate analyses were performed.
Drought significantly reduced growth and altered physiological traits, with differential responses among genotypes. Some HSFs matched or exceeded the cultivar for aerial biomass production under stress. High heritability (h2 > 0.8) was observed for aerial biomass, number of branches, leaf temperature and ion concentrations under drought. Growth traits were positively correlated and negatively associated with leaf temperature and Na+.
Five HSFs (9, 12, 13, 16, and 20) were identified as promising materials on the basis of their performance for aerial biomass, leaf temperature, and Na+ concentration, traits identified as reliable selection criteria for drought tolerance under saline-sodic soil conditions in L. tenuis.
These families provide valuable resources for breeding drought-tolerant cultivars for saline drylands, although further selection and recombination are required.
Lorena del Rosario Marinoni, I. G. dos Santos, P. Tomás et al.· Crop & Pasture Science· 0 citations
Background: Drought is a major abiotic stress severely affecting sugarcane production in India, causing yield reductions of up to 49%. To address the lack of rapid screening methods at an early stage, present study evaluated 40 sugarcane genotypes for drought stress tolerance using a hydroponic platform. The seedlings were subjected to control and drought conditions. The drought stress treatment was induced by alternate wetting and drying for 30 days. Systematic measurements of morphological and physiological parameters such as root volume, relative water content (RWC), and canopy temperature were performed. Hydroponic screening revealed a very high genetic diversity among the genotypes. In the presence of water scarcity, plants have shown a drought prevention strategy by maintaining root length and volume, while reducing shoot biomass significantly to reduce transpirational water loss. Physiologically, drought stress decreased RWC and SPAD values while increasing canopy temperature. Genetic analyses revealed minimal variations in phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation, as well as strong broad-sense heritability (more than 85%) and significant genetic advance for stress-related characteristics such as shoot length and fresh root weight, indicating additive gene action. Correlation study revealed a substantial positive association between RWC and root volume, confirming that non-destructive measurements such as canopy temperature are accurate markers of hidden root vigor. The genotypes Co 14005 and Co 12005 were found to be drought-tolerant due to their better RWC and root length, whereas Co 775, Co 06002 showed high vulnerability. The study also demonstrates that hydroponic phenotyping is a rapid and effective method for identifying drought-tolerant sugarcane clones, making it a valuable tool for early-generation selection in breeding programs.
Kaviyarasan S. S., V. J, M. K. et al.· Genetics and Molecular Resea...· 0 citations
Drought is a major abiotic stress that severely limits cotton productivity by reducing growth, yield, and fiber quality. Understanding genotype-specific responses to reproductive-stage drought is essential for identifying reliable selection traits and improving drought resilience in cotton breeding programs. This study evaluated 54 cotton genotypes at the flowering stage under three irrigation regimes: well-watered conditions (80% FC), mild drought stress (60% FC), and severe drought stress (40% FC). Morphological traits (root and shoot biomass), physiological traits (photosynthetic rate, leaf water loss, and relative water content), and biochemical traits (proline, soluble sugars, amino acids, antioxidant enzyme activities, and reactive oxygen species) were assessed. Drought treatments were imposed for three consecutive weeks during flowering to investigate genotype responses to varying levels of water deficit. The experiment was conducted in a rain-out shelter using a factorial completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications for each genotype–treatment combination. Cotton accessions were grown in plastic containers. Significant genotype-dependent variation was observed across all drought treatments, with responses becoming more pronounced under severe stress. Two-way analysis of variance revealed that drought significantly affected all measured traits. Descriptive statistics and boxplot analyses further illustrated variations in trait performance among genotypes under different stress levels. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed clear phenotypic divergence among genotypes and highlighted trait associations under contrasting water regimes. Heatmap analysis further confirmed genotype grouping patterns and their relationships with the evaluated traits. Moreover, MGIDI-based selection at 15% selection intensity identified G
33
(FH-901), G
50
(N-1048), G
53
(N-135), G
36
(FH-Super-Cotton), G
29
(FH-556), G
47
(MNH-1035), G
54
(N-135-BB-121/38), and G
41
(IUB-13) as drought-tolerant genotypes based on their lower MGIDI values and favorable performance. These genotypes exhibited superior performance, greater water retention, lower oxidative damage, and stronger antioxidant defense systems under water-deficit conditions. The findings provide valuable insights for cotton breeding programs aimed at developing drought-resilient cultivars and support sustainable cotton production in water-limited environments.
M. Y. Shani, A. Ditta, Muhammad Kashif Riaz Khan· Scientific Reports· 0 citations
Climate change exacerbates agricultural water scarcity, necessitating the development of drought-tolerant crop varieties. This study evaluates 12 eggplant lines from a MAGIC (Multi-parent Advanced Generation Intercross) population, previously selected for contrasting responses to water deficit during the vegetative stage. To validate tolerance under adult production conditions, plants underwent five irrigation-withholding cycles over a 170-day greenhouse growing period. Yield components, the Stress Tolerance Index (STI), and physiological parameters (water status and stomatal conductance) were evaluated. Additionally, photosynthetic pigments, oxidative stress markers, antioxidant compounds, and osmolytes were quantified to characterize the biochemical basis of tolerance alongside final biomass production. The results showed that four of the five lines that were previously classified as tolerant in the vegetative stage remained among the most tolerant at the reproductive stage. Specifically, lines L13, L78 and L179 were the most productive under water-limited conditions. While L13 and L179 exhibited stable tolerance throughout all developmental stages, L78 displayed stage-specific tolerance, manifested only during the reproductive growth phase. These findings emphasise the importance of integrating early-stage screening with adult-stage validation in order to capture the full spectrum of genetic drought tolerance. The most productive lines were characterised by moderate aboveground biomass, high leaf hydration and maintained stomatal conductance. However, the strategies employed differed: while L179 exhibited high photosynthetic pigment content, L13 was characterised by high total sugar accumulation. Overall, these results provide a multi-trait roadmap and identify elite MAGIC parental lines for breeding climate-resilient eggplant cultivars.
Martín Flores-Saavedra, M. Plazas, N. Pascual-Seva et al.· bioRxiv· 0 citations
Arabica coffee productivity recently has faced risk of climate change-induced drought and rising temperatures. This study evaluated the physiological responses of Arabica coffee seedlings treated with potassium (K), boron (B), and the biological agent Trichoderma spp. under drought stress. A screenhouse experiment was conducted by using a Randomized Block Design with eight treatment combinations and four replications. Drought was induced by withholding irrigation for 18 days, followed by a 15-day recovery period. Parameters measured included the chlorophyll index, stomatal density, and net assimilation rate (NAR). Findings indicated that the application of nutrient and biological inputs resulted in similar physiological values across all treatments. The leaf chlorophyll index remained stable between 43.47 and 48.83 SPAD units, while stomatal density was recorded within the range of 129.94 to 219.11 stomata mm -2. Furthermore, the net assimilation rate varied from 0.08913 to 0.41975 g m -2 week -1. While providing similar overall outcomes, the effects of drought stress tended to be counterbalanced by the treatments. Several combinations produced higher physiological values compared to the control, indicating their potential as alternative agronomic strategies to maintain seedling resilience under drought. This study establishes a baseline for understanding the interactive effects of multi-input strategies on early-stage coffee resilience.
Rangga Sidik Nur Rohman, M. A. Soleh, Yudithia Maxiselly· Gunung Djati Conference Seri...· 0 citations
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