Studies on Phenotyping, Molecujar Diversity And Differential Gene Expression of Selected Wheat Genotype Under Water Stress

Abstract

Wheat os an unponant .:ccal crop of world mcludmg lndJa Drought. one of the c:n\lronmerual stresses. os the most sigruficant factor restricung plant productJon m the maJonty of ngncultural fields. Drought oficn causes senous problems in wheat production nrcns In the present study we evaluated genotypes for yoeld, yield components and some quuloty IT3IIS wich gro·wn under well watered and drought stress conditions. Morphological traitS observed and found boghly Stgmficnnt wnong the geootyp<:s for number of tillers per plant, flag leaf length, Oag leaf width, days to h~ong. days to matunl)·. spoke length, sptkcletes per spoke and gr&lD weoghts The srudy revealed that ~•ttruficaot dofferences were established among the different wheat genotypes In order to screeo \\heal drought· tolerant genOtypes. we also used boochemical and physoologjcal criteria such as the relatne "ater content (RWC), relatove chlorophyll content (RCC). prolme content (PC) and membrane stnbolol) ondex. Scrcenmg drought tolerant genotype$ uoting mean rank dJo;criminared genotypes C 306. and HD 2888 as the most drought tolerant geool)-pes Thuty five simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker ~b "'en: evaluated m a total of fifl)-three genotypeS of wheat. Among theM: thuty-five mari<er> ele'en mocrosau:Une marl.ers \\ere produce hw1dred pen:ent polyonorphosm wtd Xgwm293 Jllllri(er produced lugh polymorpluc mfomlatoon content (0.7544) The WMS06 marker had higher resolving power. while XGWM374-2B markers had lowest percentage of resolving power The two most closely related genotypes were VL 738 wod Ill 8498 with the highest genetoc similanty (0 89S) While. the Jo"'est value (0 481) "'as ~een HS 295 and \\1-l 147 gCIJotypcs AccordJng to the UPG\fA c:lusrer anal)·~o>. the srudJed genol)-pcs dist:nbuted 1nto thu:c nujor groups (I ,II and Ill closter) Clu>~er I was the largest and got dmded onto r...o sub ciUS~Cn (sub dU>ter I &.II). Closter II was also diHded onto three sub eiU>tcr (II A. 118, IIC), Clo:ster Ill cootam four •1111enes of four re-pcct1\'el) The rmcrosatclhte rnarlcer based molecular fingcrprintong could sene a' a 'oOomd basis 10 the odenoficution of genetocally distant accessions as well as 10 the duphcatc sonon!l of the morphologoClllly close accessions Gene expression aoalysos live Cbf genes were tested for the or expression on a selectod four whear genotypes through serm quaototahve nnd QPCR to checJ.. the drought onduccd behnVIor of these ~;enes All tested ge""" sho"'ed some transcnpt accumulanoo aha on r~1)0DSC to "''"er stress. mdJcaong tlta1 eaclt of them reprc:.cttts a t:Jrget of the water SlreSS sigoahng p.llh"'li)S Gene c'pression profiles th311j;ed m response to dJITerent W81er str~~ treaonent applied. SognofiQOI dJITereoces \\crt: observed on ckb)dtariondependent transcnpt accwnulatoon 1\11 five Cbf gen(s were up-regulated by "ater ~tress on some genotypes, but down-regulated on others Among the l<~tc:d genotypes for most tolerant vanCI} , I!C:nol)-pes C306 sho"'c:d the highest nwnber of up regulared genc5 These findings also poont ou1 that plant molecular rc:-.ponse to debydratoon changes conunuously rcsulong from an omegraoon ol a scnes of onteroal and external stimulo