Evaluation of 10 wheat cultivars under water stress at Moghan (Iran) condition

Water deficit is one of the main abiotic factors that affect yield and yield component of wheat planted in arid and semi-arid regions. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of water stress on wheat yield and yield component during 2008 at Moghan conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of water stress on seed yield and yield components of ten wheat cultivars and lines that differ in adoption to drought stress. Ten bread wheat lines and cultivars were evaluated with contrasting water regimes {well-watered (as control) and water stress}. The trial was carried out in a complete block design based on factorial arrangement with three replications. Grain yield, ear number/m2, seed number per ear, 1000 kernel weight, ear length and plant height were studied. Analysis of variance showed that seed yield, ear number, grain number per ear, 1000 kernel weight and plant height was affected significantly by water stress, but ear length was not affected by water stress. The highest seed yield was observed in Chamran cultivar. Seed yield has a positive-significant correlation with ear number/m2, 1000 kernel weight, grain number/ear and plant height.Key words: Water stress, wheat, yield, yield component