Wheat phenology and yield under drought: A review

Abstract

The purpose of this review was to characterize the wheat crop phenology under drought conditions, at different stages of crop growth. Effects of drought on wheat plants are variable, and depend on the phenological stage of the plant as well as the duration, intensity and frequency of the drought. The crop evapotranspiration increases over the course of the phenological cycle, reaching a maximum in the growth stage (from the beginning of heading until the end of flowering), which is the most sensitive stage of the crop to drought. At ripening, the evapotranspiration decreases to save and allocate the energy to grain yield. The drought affects the plant density in the initial phase, tiller number per plant in the tillering phase, and plant height in the stretching phase, most severely. At the flowering stage, the processes related to fertilization and fixation of grain are most severely affected, i.e., the number of viable seeds per area decreases. In the grain formation stage, the ability of the source (leaf) to use and translocate the assimilates to the grain is most severely affected, thus affecting the grain weight.

A Physio-Morphological Trait-Based Approach for Breeding Drought Tolerant Wheat

“…Unfortunately, recurrent drought events have threatened global wheat production which necessitates major attention. The effect of water stress differs at different growth stages of wheat (Daryanto et al, 2016) while the duration and intensity of water stress can affect the development of wheat at different trait levels (Sarto et al, 2017) which ultimately reduces grain yield. Various reports from around the world indicate that limited water availability plays a major role in reducing wheat yield.…”

Analysis of Dynamic Global Transcriptional Atlas Reveals Common Regulatory Networks of Hormones and Photosynthesis Across Nicotiana Varieties in Response to Long-Term Drought

“…Drought triggers many physiological responses, including wilting, closure of stomatal cells, alterations in metabolism, growth arrest, or even death under severe conditions in plants (Shanker et al, 2014). The intensity and duration of drought determine the degree of damage due to increased osmotic stress (Sarto et al, 2017). Drought causes oxidative stress by inducing the accumulation of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inducing the antioxidant system (Chaves and Oliveira, 2004).…”

Role of exogenous application of abscisic acid ABA in drought tolerance and evaluation of antioxidant activity in durum wheat genotypes

“…As for precipitation, for the same periods, the report shows that in autumn and winter, there is less rain in the North, and in spring in the East of the country. These predictions indicate that improving abiotic stress tolerance in wheat is vital for global food security [8].…”