Mitigating abiotic stresses: a study on Pannonian basin wheat cultivars facing drought, cold and heat

Abstract

Environmental stresses such as drought, cold and heat in Pannonia Basin significantly endanger the cell activity, plant growth and yields in wheat, which is one of the most strategic cereal grain crops in the world. As science and technology advance, new tools are developed while old ones are refined for use by breeders. Higher agronomical efficiency is possible by combining new and old tools to bridge the abiotic stress issues. Five cultivars of winter wheat (Simonida, Petrija, Ljubica, Zvezdana and NS Mila), were used in the study carried out at our experimental field (Novi Sad as a center of Pannonia Basin) across three consecutive growing seasons to assess genetic interaction and the level of tolerance and adaptability of different cultivars to abiotic stresses like drought conditions, cold and heat. Four quantitative yield components and grain yield were analized to assess expression of adapted genotypes in the region. Among the cultivars, Simonida, which has been in use for the longest period, exhibited the most consistent yield response. Additionally, it demonstrated some degree of partial tolerance to abiotic stress conditions, possibly due to the integration of stress memory into its genetic code, supported by statistical analysis findings.

Stres izazvan ekološkim činiocima kao što su suša, niske i visoke temperature u Panonskom basenu značajno ugrožavaju ćelijsku aktivnost, rast biljaka i prinos pšenice, koja predstavlja jednu od najvažnijih strateških žitarica u svetu. Kako nauka i tehnologija napreduju, novi alati se razvijaju, dok se stari usavršavaju i stoje na raspolaganju oplemenjivačima. Ipak, postizanje veće agronomske efikasnosti je moguće ako se napravi zajednička veza između njih, kako bi se premostili problemi nastali pod uticajem abiotičkog stresa. U ovom istraživanju, koje je sprovedeno na našem oglednom polju (Novi Sad kao centar Panonskog basena), je korišćeno pet sorti ozime pšenice (Simonida, Petrija, Ljubica, Zvezdana i NS Mila), u tri uzastopne vegetacione sezone, kako bi se procenila genetička interakcija i nivo tolerancije i prilagodljivosti različitih sorti pšenice na abiotičke stresove kao što su suša, niske i visoke temperature. Prinos i četiri kvantitativne komponente prinosa su analizirane kako bi se procenila ekspresija prilagođenih genotipova u ovom regionu. Rezultati statističke obrade podataka su potvrdili da sorta koja je najduže u upotrebi, Simonida, ima najkonzistentniju reakciju na prinos, i da poseduje određeni stepen delimične tolerancije na uslove abiotičkog stresa, koju je ugradila preko stres memorije u svoj genetički kod.