Screening of Wheat Varieties under Different Levels of Saline Water Irrigation

Abstract

Evaluating growth and yield-related parameters, including plant height, number of leaves, biomass, grain yield and straw yield, under controlled saline irrigation allows the identification of cultivars capable of sustaining performance under stress. This approach supports the selection of resilient varieties and contributes to the sustainability of cereal cropping systems in silty clay soils under dryland conditions, ensuring both crop productivity and long-term soil health. The present study aimed to screen wheat varieties under different levels of saline water irrigation. A factorial experiment based on a completely randomised design with five replications was used. The factors studied were salinity stress with four levels: control, 5, 10 and 15 dS m-1, and five wheat cultivars, K-8962, K-8434, K-9644, K-9465 and K-9006, subjected to imposed salinity stress. The study evaluated plant height, number of leaves per plant, number of tillers, leaf area, dry weight, number of ears per plant, straw yield, grains per plant, harvest index and test weight of five wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars under four salinity levels. Increasing salinity stress negatively influenced both morphological and yield parameters. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering were used to estimate genotype performance based on morphological and reproductive traits. Better results were observed in K-8434 and K-9006 than in the other cultivars.