A novel tolerance index to identify heat tolerance in cultivated and wild barley genotypes
AbstractThermal stress at the reproductive stage poses a substantial constraint on cereal production worldwide. A two-year field study was conducted to assess tolerance to terminal heat stress in cultivated (Hordeum vulgare ssp. vulgare L.) and wild (H. vulgare ssp. spontaneum L.) barley genotypes using phenological and agronomic traits as well as selection indices based on grain yield. A new heat-tolerance index was tested while a simultaneous study was also carried out of both phenological and grain yield-related variables as well as previously defined indices. Results of analysis of variance showed the significant genotypic and high-temperature stress (environment) effects on all the traits studied. In contrast to the cultivated genotypes, the wild ones were found less affected by high-temperature stress. Moreover, both cultivated and wild genotypes were observed to use the life cycle shortening as a mechanism to evade heat stress. In addition, supplementary tolerance mechanisms were also found likely to contribute to heat-stress evasion in the wild germplasm. Grain yield showed a strong relationship with both stress tolerance index (STI) and heat tolerance index (HTI) among the wild genotypes. However, multivariate analysis highlighted the feasibility of HTI to screen high-temperature tolerant wild genotypes under harsh environments with the most high-temperature tolerant wild genotypes identified originating from warm climates.