Evaluation of Spring Barley Varieties for Post-Anthesis Drought Tolerance

Abstract

Heat stress is among the most critical abiotic constraints on cereal productivity, necessitating intensified breeding strategies. While elevated temperatures can occur at multiple developmental stages, heat stress during the post-anthesis period is particularly damaging, as it disrupts grain formation and filling, leading to substantial yield reductions. Although the study was conducted in a region traditionally favourable for barley cultivation, long-term meteorological records reveal a steady increase in post-anthesis temperatures over the past three decades, increasing crop vulnerability. Under these conditions, evaluating varietal performance and heat tolerance in line with current climatic trends is essential. In this study, chemical desiccation was applied to simulate heat stress by inhibiting photosynthesis, enabling assessment of the capacity of spring barley cultivars to remobilize assimilates from vegetative tissues to the grain. Ten cultivars were evaluated over three years under both stress and non-stress conditions, focusing on key yield components.