Abstract:
High temperature is major environmental factor that limits productivity of cereal crops all over the world. Wheat (
Triticum aestivum L.), one of the main staple cereal crop, is highly sensitive to heat stress. Two screened wheat genotypes, C-306 (heat tolerant) and HUW-468 (heat susceptible), were selected to evaluate the effect of 24-epibrassinolide @1µM along with its combinations through pre-seed soaking, foliar spray and both combinations together at pre-flowering and post -flowering stage. The heat stress shock was imposed by late sowing in the field. 24-epibrassinolide treatments significantly enhanced chlorophyll, MSI, NRA, APX, and SOD in both C-306 and HUW-468 genotypes under heat stress. Among all the treatments, EBR @1µM seed treatment + 1µM foliar spray revealed higher chlorophyll (37.56 and 42.00 mg g
-1 FW) at pre-flowering stage whereas (42.43 and 44.13 mg g
-1 FW) at post-flowering stage, MSI (38.13% and 38.56%) at pre-flowering stage whereas (40.67% and 41.00%) at post-flowering stage, NRA(0.760 and0.666 µ Mol NO
2 h
-1 g
-1 FW
) at pre-flowering stage whereas (0.750 and0.640 µ Mol NO
2 h
-1 g
-1 FW) at post-flowering stage, APX(49.03 and 51.50 Unitsmg
-1proteinmin
-1) at pre-flowering stage whereas(51..67and52.90 Units mg
-1 protein min
-1) at post-flowering stage, SOD (2.600 and 3.477 Units mg
-1 protein min
-1) at pre-flowering stage whereas(2.767 and 3.550 Units mg
-1 protein min
-1) at post-flowering stage in both susceptible and tolerant genotype, respectively, compared to control. 24-epibrassinolide treatments, as evident, minimized the heat stress damage in tolerant genotype as compared to susceptible genotype by enhancing chlorophyll, MSI, NRA and antioxidant enzymes activity (APX and SOD).