Open Access

ARTICLE

Exploration of Genetic Pattern of Phenological Traits in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under Drought Stress

Iqra Ishaaq¹, Muhammad Umer Farooq^1,2,3,4,*, Syeda Anjum Tahira², Rizwana Maqbool¹, Celaleddin Barutçular³, Muhammad Yasir⁵, Saira Bano², Zaid Ulhassan⁶, Ghassan Zahid⁷, Muhammad Ahsan Asghar⁸, Sajad Hussain⁹, Kocsy Gabor⁸, Ulkar Ibrahimova^10,11, Jianqing Zhu⁴, Anshu Rastogi^12,*

1 Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 38040, Pakistan
2 Department of Botany, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Okara, Okara, 56130, Pakistan
3 Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Çukurova University, Adana, 01330, Turkey
4Department of Crop Genetics and Breeding, Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu Campus, 611130, China
5 Key Laboratory of Agriculture Products Improvement, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, 311300, China
6 Institute of Crop Science, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Spectroscopy Sensing, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
7 Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Natural and Applied Sciences, Çukurova University, Adana, 01330, Turkey
8 Agricultural Institute, ELKH Centre for Agricultural Research, Martonvásár, 2462, Hungary
9 College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an, 611130, China
10 Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnologies, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Baku, AZ 1073, Azerbaijan
11 Research Institute of Crop Husbandry, Ministry of Agriculture of the Azerbaijan Republic, Baku, AZ 1098, Azerbaijan
12 Laboratory of Bioclimatology, Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poznan, 60-649, Poland

* Corresponding Authors: Muhammad Umer Farooq. Email: ; Anshu Rastogi. Email:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2022, 91(12), 2733-2758. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2022.022094

Received 21 February 2022; Accepted 27 April 2022; Issue published 29 August 2022

Abstract

Drought is the major detrimental environmental factor for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production. The exploration of genetic patterns underlying drought tolerance is of great significance. Here we report the gene actions controlling the phenological traits using the line × tester model studying 27 crosses and 12 parents under normal irrigation and drought conditions. The results interpreted via multiple analysis (mean performance, correlations, principal component, genetic analysis, heterotic and heterobeltiotic potential) disclosed highly significant differences among germplasm. The phenological waxiness traits (glume, boom, and sheath) were strongly interlinked. Flag leaf area exhibits a positive association with peduncle and spike length under drought. The growing degree days (heat-units) greatly influence spikelets and grains per spike, however, the grain yield/plant was significantly reduced (17.44 g to 13.25 g) under drought. The principal components based on eigenvalue indicated significant PCs (first-seven) accounted for 79.9% and 73.9% of total variability under normal irrigation and drought, respectively. The investigated yield traits showed complex genetic behaviour. The genetic advance confronted a moderate to high heritability for spikelets/spike and grain yield/plant. The traits conditioned by dominant genetic effects in normal irrigation were inversely controlled by additive genetic effects under drought and vice versa. The magnitude of dominance effects for phenological and yield traits, i.e., leaf twist, auricle hairiness, grain yield/plant, spikelets, and grains/spike suggests that selection by the pedigree method is appropriate for improving these traits under normal irrigation conditions and could serve as an indirect selection index for improving yield-oriented traits in wheat populations for drought tolerance. However, the phenotypic selection could be more than effective for traits conditioned by additive genetic effects under drought. We suggest five significant cross combinations based on heterotic and heterobeltiotic potential of wheat genotypes for improved yield and enhanced biological production of wheat in advanced generations under drought.

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