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Wheat Information
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Number 72: 30-34 (1991)
Scope of
some physiological characters in improvement of durum wheat under
stress condition
S. J. Mokhashi, S. N. Talwar and K. Venkatasubbaiah
Department of Agricultural Botany, College of Agriculture,
Dharwad-5, Karnatake State, India
Introduction
Physiological characters viz., free proline accumulation,
relative water content and chlorophyll content are considered to be
the important potential metabolic measures for drought resistance in
cereals (Walldren et al 1974 in Sorghum; Hanson et al 1979 in barley;
Tregubenke 1979 in corn; Dorofeev 1979, Parshina et al 1979, Morey
1980 and Tandon and Halloran 1982 in wheat). However, no systematic
approach has been attempted to know the genetic mechanisms involved
in these three physiological characters in durum wheat. The
importance of such metabolic traits in breeding wheat for stress
condition is obvious. Besides, durums are known for their intrinsic
tolerance to drought (Talwar 1979). Hence, the present genetic study
was designed to explore the utility of such traits in improvement of
durum wheat under stress condition.
Materials and Methods
Forty hybrids derived from line x tester pattern were sown in a
randomised block design with three replications during rabi
season at College of Agriculture, Dharwad. The sowing was done by
dibbling the seeds at a distance of 30cm rows on 20 meter long,
spaced 15cm apart. The leaf samples were collected from five plants
selected at random in each replication to estimate the following
physiological characters. Free proline content (FPC) was estimated as
per the method suggested by Bates et al (1973); Relative water
content (RWC) was determined according to the procedure indicated by
Bayers and Weatherly (1968); and Total chlorophyll content (TCC) was
estimated according to Arnon (1949). The biometricol approach
suggested by Kempthorne (1957) was used for obtaining estimates of
combining ability effects and variances.
Part of a thesis submitted
by the senior author in partial fulfilment of the requirements for
the M. Sc. degree at University of Agricultural Science, Hebbal,
Bangalore.
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