Effect of drought stress on phenological and yield attributes in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Investigations on drought stress treatment in terms of phenological and yield attributes carried out with wheat varieties (WH 1105 and WH 1025) under field conditions revealed that the number of days to heading, under drought stress conditions decreased by 5 days. The number of days to anthesis were also found less in drought conditions. It was 100 and 103 days in WH 1105 and WH 1025, respectively. The grain filling period was shortened in WH 1025. The drought-stressed varieties reached to maturity 5 days earlier compared to irrigated ones. The yield attributes such as grain number per spike, grain weight per spike (g), test weight (g), and grain yield per square meter (g/m 2) under drought also decreased to a great extent. The Drought Susceptibility Index (DSI) calculated for two wheat varieties was 1.25 and 0.71 in WH 1105 and WH 1025, respectively. The results showed that the wheat variety WH 1025 registered better drought tolerance than WH 1105.