Effects of Early Drought Stress on Germination and Seedling Growth Parameters of Kırik Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

This study is to evaluate effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) on germination and seedling growth parameters and determine the optimal dose which can be used in Kirik wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) mutation breeding programs. In this study, 11 different PEG-6000 application doses [0 (control), -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8, -9 and -10 bar] were applied as randomized designs. Germination percentage (GP), mean germination time (MGT), root (RL) and shoot length (SL) were measured. Analysis of variance indicated that different concentration of PEG-6000 was significant (P <0.01) in GP, MGT, RL and SL parameters. The highest GP, RL and SL were obtained at control concentration, whereas; the highest MGT was observed at high -10 bar concentration. As the concentration of PEG-6000 increased, the germination percentage, root length and shoot length decreased significantly, while the mean germination time was prolonged. Based on the data obtained, it was concluded that an effective selection could be achieved at a concentration of -10 bar and this osmotic potential, was used to select the drought tolerant during the germination period.