PEG-induced physiological drought for screening winter wheat genotypes sensitivity – integrated biochemical and chlorophyll a fluorescence analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to screen different winter wheat genotypes at the onset of metabolic changes induced by water deficit to comprehend possible adaptive features of photosynthetic apparatus function and structure to physiological drought. The drought treatment was the most influential variable affecting plant growth and relative water content, and genotype variability determined with what intensity varieties of winter wheat seedlings responded to water deficit. PEG-induced drought, as expected, changed phenomenological energy fluxes and the efficiency with which an electron is transferred to final PSI acceptors. Based on the effect size, fluorescence parameters were grouped to represent photochemical parameters, that is, the donor and acceptor side of PSII (PC1); the thermal phase of the photosynthetic process, or the electron flow around PSI, and the chain of electrons between PSII and PSI (PC2); and phenomenological energy fluxes per cross-section (PC3). Furthermore, four distinct clusters of genotypes were discerned based on their response to imposed physiological drought, and integrated analysis enabled an explanation of their reactions’ specificity. The most reliable JIP-test parameters for detecting and comparing the drought impact among tested genotypes were the variable fluorescence at K, L, I step, and PITOT. To conclude, developing and improving screening methods for identifying and evaluating functional relationships of relevant characteristics that are useful for acclimation, acclimatization, and adaptation to different types of drought stress can contribute to the progress in breeding research of winter wheat drought-tolerant lines.

Early Antioxidative Response to Desiccant-Stimulated Drought Stress in Field-Grown Traditional Wheat Varieties

“…Therefore, cultivars Nada and Dubrava may be classified as drought-tolerant to some extent, while cultivars U1 and Njivka tend to be susceptible to drought. These assumptions are in accordance with the recent findings of Peršić et al [ 54 ] who investigated Croatian wheat genotypes and found that MDA level indicated drought tolerance, or precisely, the ability of genotypes to acclimate and overcome the negative impact of drought.…”

Photosynthetic activity and metabolic profiling of bread wheat cultivars contrasting in drought tolerance

“…Drought-induced osmotic stress at vegetative, flowering, or grain filling stage adversely affects crop production. In the present study, PEG treatment decreased shoot and root fresh and dry weight of seedlings in all wheat cultivars ( Supplementary Figure S2 ) as observed previously by Peršić et al. (2022) that morpho-physiological and biochemical traits of seedlings shoot and root are greatly affected by PEG-induced drought stress reducing growth.…”

“…Breeding is one of the most efficient options to overcome drought stress through the development of new genotypes adapted to drought ( Blum, 2016 ). Different morpho-physiological traits of wheat that are hampered under drought stress include plant height, leaf area, chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, relative water content, osmotic potential, water potential, and photosynthesis, so the mechanism of damage can be understood by studying these attributes under drought stress ( Ahmad et al., 2022 ; Chen et al., 2022a ; Peršić et al., 2022 ). Reduced uptake of N, P, and K + was observed in plants under drought stress.…”

Comparative Analysis of Primary Photosynthetic Reactions Assessed by OJIP Kinetics in Three Brassica Crops after Drought and Recovery

“…Chlorophyll a fluorescence measurement (Chl) is a commonly used technique that provides a large amount of information on the physiological state of plants and also enables the early detection of invisible changes in the photosynthetic apparatus function and structure affected by certain environmental conditions [44][45][46][47]. Previous research indicates the potential possibility of using this method for screening sensitive and tolerant genotypes of different plant species [48][49][50][51].…”