Selection of Barley Lines for Drought Tolerance in Low‐Rainfall Areas

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at five locations in Jordan (Khanasri, annual rainfall 150 mm; Ramtha, 225 mm; Muwaqar, 150 mm; Rabba, 350 mm; Ghweer, 250 mm) during the 1996/1997 growing season, to evaluate the yield performance and some agronomic traits of 84 barley breeding lines and three long‐term checks (Zanbaka, Arta and Klaxon) for drought tolerance. An α‐lattice design with two replications and six incomplete blocks for each replication was used. Genotype 6 (WI2291/Tadmor) was found to be superior in grain yield, especially compared to the best check (Arta) at the two wettest locations (Rabba and Ghweer). Genotype 21 (Mo.B1337/WI2291/5/Emir/Sb//CM67/3/F8‐HB‐854‐23/121//148‐221/4/CI 08887/CI05761) out‐yielded the best check (Arta) at the driest location (Khanasri), while genotype 61 (Salmas/Arabia Aswad) produced a higher grain yield than the best check (Zanbaka) at Ramtha. The correlations amongst grain yield, biological yield, straw yield, plant height and harvest index were always significant and positive regardless of the location. The correlations amongst days to heading, days to maturity and grain yield were significant at the two driest locations only. This suggests that different phonologies are required to maximize grain yield in wet and dry environments. Also, the relationship between grain yield and the length of grain‐filling period was positive in the wettest location (Rabba), negative in the driest (Khanasri) and not significant at the two intermediate locations. These results emphasize the importance of selection in the target environment and the need to develop early‐maturing genotypes as a way of withstanding drought and high temperatures during the grain‐filling period. A high and negative correlation coefficient was found between the drought susceptibility index and grain yield at the driest site, whereas at the wettest site the correlation coefficient was lower and in some cases positive, indicating the existence of traits that are desirable under drought and undesirable under favourable conditions.

Evaluation of Some Egyptian Barley Cultivars under Water Stress Conditions Using Drought Tolerance Indices and Multivariate Analysis

“…Regarding the interaction among cultivars, treatment and seasons, the data indicated that there were a significant and highly significant difference for all traits expect for chlorophyll content, leaf area and straw yield were non-significant. The results were similar to those obtained by El-Koliey and El-Hamid (2000), Shakhatreh et al (2001), Samarah (2005), El-Sayed (2012), Fawzy et al (2013), Haddadin, (2015 and Abu-El-Lail et al (2016) …”

Drought Tolerance in Recombinant Chromosome Substitution Lines (RCSLs) Derived from the Cross Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum (Caesarea 26-24) × Hordeum. vulgare subsp. vulgare cv. Harrington

“…Since lower value of DSI means higher tolerance to drought, it can be inferred that RCSL-95 was the most tolerant genotype, while RCSL-24 was the most sensitive to drought. The DSI was correlated negatively and significantly to grain yield in site WWS (Cauquenes; Figure 3), which agree with the results from other studies (Ceccarelli, 1987;Acevedo et al, 1991;Shakhatreh et al, 2001). …”

Genetic correlations, tradeoffs and environmental variation

“…The early literature on such switches was reviewed by Hoffmann and Parsons (1991). For a recent example, Shakhatreh et al (2001) examined performance of barley breeding lines in several locations and showed that the association between grain yield and grain maturation time changed sign between the wettest and driest locations (Table 1).…”