Abstract
Water scarcity is one of the major impacts of climate change leading to great reduction in wheat crop yields all over the
world. Therefore, identification of drought tolerant or sensitive wheat cultivars has become an essential approach to enhance
the food production on sustainable basis. A study was planned to evaluate the potential of nine approved wheat cultivars
[Fareed-2006, Millat-2011, Miraj-2008, AARI-2011, Lassani-2006, AAS-2011, Shafaq-2006, Sahar-2006 and Punjab-2011]
against water deficit conditions on the basis of their antioxidants status. The cultivars were grown under water deficit and
well-watered conditions (50% and 100% field capacity), respectively. The cultivars showed differential but statistically
similar response during germination and seedling establishment under applied water treatments. Drought (50% field
capacity) caused significant reduction in growth and yield contributing parameters i.e. plant height, number of grains per
spike, 100 grain weight and grain yield per plant in all the wheat cultivars studied. However, performance of AARI-11
ensured the maximum yield and yield contributing components under deficit and normal watered conditions with more
activities of enzymatic antioxidants [superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) catalase (CAT)], higher contents of
non-enzymatic antioxidants [ascorbic acid (AsA) and total phenolic contents (TPC)], also greater contents of leaf K+ and
photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll “a” and “b”). Nevertheless, antioxidants status was significantly higher at reproductive
stages (booting and heading) as compared to vegetative stage (leaf initiation) in all the cultivars, under water deficit and wellwatered
conditions. Moreover, AARI-11 showed the major grain protein profiling determined through sodium dodecyl
sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-page). In the present study, the cultivar AARI-11 proved itself a drought
tolerant cultivar with maximum productivity.
