Managing Water Deficit in Wheat by Improving Physiological and Biochemical Traits Via Resource Conservation Techniques in Semi-Arid Regions

Abstract

Sustaining crop production with less available water is the most emerging challenge at present and in near future. With increasing population, industrialization and urbanization, water share of agriculture sector is depleting day by day. There is dire need to develop techniques that give more yield with less available water. Among various techniques use of mulch and partial root zone drying (PRD) are easiest one. In this study sole as well as combined effect of these techniques was recorded in wheat. Being one of the major staple foods of the world, wheat is grown around the globe from temperate to tropical regions. Most of the wheat growing regions often face water scarcity during critical wheat growth stages.Although less water applied at critical wheat growth stages slowdown the normal pace of important physiological processes than control irrigation treatment, but activities of important antioxidant enzymes were higher in PRD treated plants. More activities of antioxidant enzymes were noted at reproductive growth stages (anthesis and grain filling) of wheat than vegetative growth stages (tillering and booting). All studied mulch materials also markedly alleviate the harmful effects of less water on various physiological growth processes of wheat, with best results were achieved with black plastic mulch . Combined application of mulches with PRD was more effective for water conservation, more water use efficiency and higher yield than sole application of either treatment.

Keywords: Water deficit, critical growth stages, ground covers, wheat water relations, Antioxidant enzymes