The response of twenty-five wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties to different water stress levels were studied in a series of experiments conducted in the laboratory on Polyethylene glycol-6000. The experiments on germination with twenty-five wheat varieties were conducted in a growth cabinet maintained at 30/250C day/night temperature with 16 hours photoperiod. Seeds were germinated in glass tray lined with filter paper moistened with polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) solutions of 0.0, -0.25, –0.50, -0.75 and –1.0 MPa osmotic potential. Germination percentage decreased with decrease in water potential of the medium. The water uptake reached at a peak value within 48 hours in all the genotypes under all the water stress conditions. The varieties Sarsabz and Kiran-95 showed comparatively better performance of germination under water stress than other wheat varieties.
