Assessment of Wheat Genotypes for Drought Tolerance Using PEG 6000

Abstract

Drought is a major environmental constraint affecting wheat productivity, especially under the arid and semi-arid conditions of Egypt. To identify drought-tolerant genotypes, a laboratory experiment was conducted at the Seed Technology Research Department, Sakha Agricultural Research Station, during the 2025 season. The experiment consisted of 16 wheat genotypes. Theses genotypes were subjected to different osmotic potentials (0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 %) induced by Poly Ethylene Glycole (PEG) 6000. The experiment was arranged factorially in completely randomized design with three replications. Germination percentage, germination speed, shoot length, root length, seedling dry weight, seedling vigor index and seedling growth rate were observed. Data were collected and analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Results showed that all studied traits were delayed with the increment of water stress induced by Polyethylene glycol (PEG). Also, the degree of reduction of these traits with the increment of water stress was not similar for all wheat genotypes. At different levels of water stress, genotypes (Gemmiza12, Line2, Line8, Line4 and Sakha95) showed more stress tolerance and (Shandaweel1, Misr2, Misr1, Line4 and Misr3) showed greater stress sensitivity than the others. This study recommended use genotypes (Gemmiza12, Line2 Line8, Line4 and Sakha95) to develop bread wheat genotypes in breeding programs. These results highlight promising genotypes for use in breeding programs aimed at enhancing drought tolerance in wheat.