Physiological responses and drought resistance index of nine wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars under different moisture conditions

Nine commercial wheat cultivars of pakistan viz; inqulab-91,as-2002,sehar-2006,shafaq-2006,bhakkar-2002,auqab-2000,ga-2002,chakwal-50 and fareed-06 were evaluated for their physiological performance and drought resistance index under different levels of soil moisture. germination of these cultivars was tested under peg induced osmotic stress of -2,-4,-6,and -8 bars. highest germination percentage was observed for fareed-06,chakwal-50,ga-2002 and as-2002 at -8 bars osmotic stress. to study physiological responses and drought resistance index,plants were grown in clay pots and water equivalent to 75%,50% and 25% field capacity was applied. decrease in soil moisture significantly affected relative water content,leaf succulence,chlorophyll content,cell membrane stability index,number of grains/spike and 100 grain weight. significant variation was found among cultivars. based on physiological responses and drought resistance index performance of chakwal-50,ga-2002 and bhakkar-2002 were found relatively better under limited moisture conditions.