Molecular characterization and evaluation of different irrigation regimens on yield and other agronomic traits of some Egyptian wheat cultivars

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to determine the optimal irrigation needs of six popular Egyptian bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars and to establish baseline effect of reduced irrigation on yield. The varieties included were Sids1, Sids14, Sakha94, Sakha95, Gemmiza12, and Shandawee1. The experiment was conducted at two different locations, Nubaria and Sids Agricultural Research Stations, Egypt over two consecutive seasons, 2020–2021 and 2021–2022. There was a reduction in yield with the decrease in the number of irrigations. However, several cultivars performed better for yield and other traits with one less irrigation than the current irrigation practices in the region. Therefore, the study may help revise irrigation recommendations. Overall, the cultivars Sakha95, Sids1, and Sids14 were taller and had more kernels per spike, higher seed index, and greater grain yield under reduced irrigations and showed the best drought tolerance index. The tested bread wheat cultivars were genotyped using Inter-Retrotransposon Amplified Polymorphism (IRAP) and Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) markers which showed relation among the cultivars. Among the two types of markers, IRAP was better than SCoT markers for reliability and robustness. Among the six cultivars, 58% of the IRAP markers detected polymorphism as compared to 38% with SCoT markers. The two wheat cultivars Sids1 and Sids14, which performed better for important agronomic traits under water stress conditions, could be used as donors for the national wheat breeding program for drought tolerance.

KEYWORDS:

• Drought tolerance
• water use efficiency
• chlorophyll content
• yield and yield components
• genetic diversity

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the funded by Science, Technology and Innovation Funding Authority (STDF), grant number 42687” EG - US cycle 19 for supporting this publication. We are also thankful to Wheat Research Department, Field Crops Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt and Nubaria and Sids Agricultural Research Stations.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

Conceptualization, AFE, KG and AFE, GK, MAE,SDI.; method-ology, MAE, EG, AI, AFE.; software, AFE,AH.; validation, AFE., AH., formal analysis, AH.; investigation, SD,EG, AI.; resources, AFE.; data curation, AH, SD, AFE, EG, AI.; writing original draft preparation, AFE, AH.; writing review and editing, KG,AH, AFE.; visualization, EG,AI.; supervision, AFE, KG.; funding acquisition, AFE, KG. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Data availability statement

The authors state that all data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article. The full data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15427528.2024.2372738

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by Science, Technology and Innovation Funding Authority (STDF), grant number [42687” EG - US cycle 19].