Enhancing water stress tolerance in wheat: Advanced phenotyping methods for improved genotype selection in arid regions

Abstract

Abstract Water scarcity poses a significant challenge to wheat cultivation, especially in Egypt, where wheat is a staple crop. The study aimed to enhance water stress tolerance in wheat by using advanced phenotyping methods to improve genotype selection in arid regions. The objective was to evaluate various wheat genotypes for their drought tolerance and to explore the effectiveness of high‐throughput phenotyping methods such as canopy temperature (CT), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and water‐soluble carbohydrates (WSC) as non‐destructive tools for selection. Two field trials were conducted using 15 wheat genotypes in a randomized complete block design with three replications under well‐watered and water‐stressed conditions. Phenotyping methodologies, including NDVI, CT, and WSC, were used to assess the plants. The results showed strong correlations between these phenotyping methods and wheat yield, with genotype 10 showing the highest yield under stress conditions. The study reported broad‐sense heritability values of 0.89 for CT, 0.78 for NDVI, 0.96 for WSC, and 0.69 for grain yield, indicating the robustness of these traits as indicators for selecting water stress‐tolerant wheat genotypes. In conclusion, advanced phenotyping methods, such as CT, NDVI, and WSC, proved to be quick and reliable indicators for screening wheat genotypes in water‐stressed environments. This approach can significantly contribute to breeding programs to improve wheat yield and water productivity in arid regions. These findings underscore the importance of integrating high‐throughput phenotyping in crop improvement strategies for drought‐prone areas. Key Points Water‐soluble carbohydrates, canopy temperature, and NDVI effectively predict water‐stress‐tolerant genotypes. Genotypes 8 and 10 exhibited the highest grain yield and water productivity under water‐stressed environments. High‐throughput phenotyping enables rapid, non‐destructive evaluation of wheat genotypes for water stress tolerance.

Code and data availability

The supplied blocks describe field phenotyping of 15 wheat genotypes (CT, NDVI, WSC) and cite META-R software, but contain no public phenotype dataset, image/sensor data deposit, author analysis code, or trained model with an availability statement or URL. No paper-specific public asset is identified.

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