Evaluation of Grain Yield and Drought Tolerance Indices in Armenian and Iranian Wheat Varieties Under Irrigated and Non-Irrigated Conditions

Abstract

Drought is one of the main abiotic stresses that depends on soil type and rainfall
patterns on agrarian land. However, it is mainly responsible for major yield
losses in crops. Climate change further compounds the challenges to advanced
crop yields. Failure stress reduces crop yield. This research was conducted on
grain yield in fifteen Armenian and Iranian wheat varieties to evaluate grain yield
and drought tolerance indices. The study was performed with three replications
under normal and drought-stress conditions for two years. According to
grain yield, eight drought tolerance indices are estimated, including stress
tolerance (STI), tolerance index (TOL), stress susceptibility index (SSI), mean
productivity (MP), harmonic mean (HM), geometric mean (GMP), yield index
(YI), and drought index (DI) for all varieties. The combination of yield analysis,
eight drought tolerance indices, and correlation revealed that Navid, Voskehask,
Sabalan, and Zare varieties were desirable for drought tolerance. Other varieties
were identified as semi-tolerant and sensitive to drought stress.