In this study, the seedlings of two wheat cultivars were used: drought-resistant Chinese Spring (CS) and drought-susceptible (SQ1). Seedlings were subjected to osmotic stress in order to assess the differences in response to drought stress between resistant and susceptible genotype. The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the changes in physiological and biochemical characteristics and to establish the optimum osmotic stress level in which differences in drought resistance between the genotypes could be revealed. Plants were subjected to osmotic stress by supplementing the root medium with three concentrations of PEG 6000. Seedlings were grown for 21 days in control conditions and then the plants were subjected to osmotic stress for 7 days by supplementing the root medium with three concentrations of PEG 6000 (D1, D2, D3) applied in two steps: during the first 3 days of treatment −0.50, −0.75 and −1.00 and next −0.75, −1.25 and −1.5 MPa, respectively. Measurements of gas exchange parameters, chlorophyll content, height of seedlings, length of root, leaf and root water content, leaf osmotic potential, lipid peroxidation, and contents of soluble carbohydrates and proline were taken. The results highlighted statistically significant differences in most traits for treatment D2 and emphasized that these conditions were optimum for expressing differences in the responses to osmotic stress between SQ1 and CS wheat genotypes. The level of osmotic stress defined in this study as most suitable for differentiating drought resistance of wheat genotypes will be used in further research for genetic characterization of this trait in wheat through QTL analysis of mapping population of doubled haploid lines derived from CS and SQ1.

The aim of the study was to assess the role of salicylic acid (SA) and abscisic acid (ABA) in osmotic stress tolerance of wheat seedlings. This was accomplished by determining the impact of the acids applied exogenously on seedlings grown under osmotic stress in hydroponics. The investigation was unique in its comprehensiveness, examining changes under osmotic stress and other conditions, and testing a number of parameters simultaneously. In both drought susceptible (SQ1) and drought resistant (CS) wheat cultivars, significant physiological and biochemical changes were observed upon the addition of SA (0.05 mM) or ABA (0.1 μM) to solutions containing half-strength Hoagland medium and PEG 6000 (−0.75 MPa). The most noticeable result of supplementing SA or ABA to the medium (PEG + SA and PEG + ABA) was a decrease in the length of leaves and roots in both cultivars. While PEG treatment reduced gas exchange parameters, chlorophyll content in CS, and osmotic potential, and conversely, increased lipid peroxidation, soluble carbohydrates in SQ1, proline content in both cultivars and total antioxidants activity in SQ1, PEG + SA or PEG + ABA did not change the values of these parameters. Furthermore, PEG caused a two-fold increase of endogenous ABA content in SQ1 and a four-fold increase in CS. PEG + ABA increased endogenous ABA only in SQ1, whereas PEG + SA caused a greater increase of ABA content in both cultivars compared to PEG. In PEG-treated plants growing until the harvest, a greater decrease of yield components was observed in SQ1 than in CS. PEG + SA, and particularly PEG + ABA, caused a greater increase of these yield parameters in CS compared to SQ1. In conclusion, SA and ABA ameliorate, particularly in the tolerant wheat cultivar, the harmful effects and after effects of osmotic stress induced by PEG in hydroponics through better osmotic adjustment achieved by an increase in proline and carbohydrate content as well as by an increase in antioxidant activity.

Relatively little is known of the genetic control of chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) and pigment traits important in determining efficiency of photosynthesis in wheat and its association with biomass productivity. A doubled haploid population of 94 lines from the wheat cross Chinese Spring × SQ1 was trialled under optimum glasshouse conditions for 4 years to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for CF traits including, for the first time in wheat, JIP-test parameters per excited cross section (CS_m): ABS/CS_m, DI_o/CS_m, TR_o/CS_m, RC/CS_m and ET_o/CS_m, key parameters determining efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus, as well as chlorophyll and carotenoid contents to establish associations with biomass and grain yield. The existing genetic map was extended to 920 loci by adding Diversity Arrays Technology markers. Markers and selected genes for photosynthetic light reactions, pigment metabolism and biomass accumulation were located to chromosome deletion bins. Across all CF traits and years, 116 QTL for CF were located on all chromosomes except 7B, and 39 QTL were identified for pigments on the majority of chromosomes, excluding 1A, 2A, 4A, 3B, 5B, 1D, 2D, 5D, 6D and 7D. Thirty QTL for plant productivity traits were mapped on chromosomes 3A, 5A, 6A, 7A, 1B, 2B, 4B, 6B, 7B, 3D and 4D. A region on chromosome 6B was identified where 14 QTL for CF parameters coincided with QTL for chlorophyll content and grain weight per ear. Thirty-five QTL regions were coincident with candidate genes. The environment was shown to dominate in determining expression of genes for those traits.

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a class of steroid phytohormones, which regulate various processes of morphogenesis and physiology – from seed development to regulation of flowering and senescence. An accumulating body of evidence indicates that BRs take part in regulation of physiological reactions to various stress conditions, including drought. Many of the physiological functions of BRs are regulated by a complicated, and not fully elucidated network of interactions with metabolic pathways of other phytohormones. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize phytohormonal homeostasis in barley (Hordeum vulgare) in reaction to drought and validate role of BRs in regulation of this process. Material of this study included the barley cultivar ‘Bowman’ and five Near-Isogenic Lines (NILs) representing characterized semi-dwarf mutants of several genes encoding enzymes participating in BR biosynthesis and signaling. Analysis of endogenous BRs concentrations in these NILs confirmed that their phenotypes result from abnormalities in BR metabolism. In general, concentrations of eighteen compounds, representing various classes of phytohormones, including brassinosteroids, auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins, abscisic acid, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid were analyzed under control and drought conditions in the ‘Bowman’ cultivar and the BR-deficient NILs. Drought induced a significant increase in accumulation of the biologically active form of BRs – castasterone in all analyzed genotypes. Another biologically active form of BRs – 24-epi-brassinolide - was identified in one, BR-insensitive NIL under normal condition, but its accumulation was drought-induced in all analyzed genotypes. Analysis of concentration profiles of several compounds representing gibberellins allowed an insight into the BR-dependent regulation of gibberellin biosynthesis. The concentration of the gibberellic acid GA7 was significantly lower in all NILs when compared with the ‘Bowman’ cultivar, indicating that GA7 biosynthesis represents an enzymatic step at which the stimulating effect of BRs on gibberellin biosynthesis occurs. Moreover, the accumulation of GA7 is significantly induced by drought in all the genotypes. Biosynthesis of jasmonic acid is also a BR-dependent process, as all the NILs accumulated much lower concentrations of this hormone when compared with the ‘Bowman’ cultivar under normal condition, however the accumulation of jasmonic acid, abscisic acid and salicylic acid were significantly stimulated by drought.