Morpho-physiological Improvement of Durum Wheat Seedlings (Triticum durum Desf.) Response to Drought Conditions and Correlation with Yield

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the response of durum wheat seedlings to water stress and to analyze the relationships between seedling-stage parameters and their behavior under field conditions. Sixteen (16) genotypes of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) were subjected to two water regimes: control and stressed. Parameters measured included accumulated biomass, seedling height, specific leaf weight, relative water content, proline content, drying rate of the flag leaf, and cell integrity. Water stress significantly affected all measured parameters, though the degree of impact varied among genotypes. Some genotypes demonstrated lower sensitivity to stress than others. Proline accumulation at the seedling stage showed a correlation with genotype performance under field conditions. Additionally, genotypes with higher specific leaf weight under stress better retained relative water content. The findings suggest that the ability to accumulate proline and sugars contributes to minimizing yield loss under water stress. This highlights potential physiological traits for breeding durum wheat varieties with improved drought tolerance.