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Evaluation of Trchniques for Measuring Drought Avoidance in Cereal Seedlings¹

Water retention, water resaturation values, and survival were determined on seven wheat, five barley and four oat cultivars after either whole plants or cut leaf sections were dried over either CaCl₂ or glycerol solutions giving known relative humidities. Water retention of these cereals (with one exception) was not affected by plant age at time of measurement (10- to 28-day-old plants). Water retention was significantly increased by drought hardening in two wheat and one barley cultivars, while sand versus soil culture gave no consistent effects. Water retention of detached leaves even with eight replicates did not give good differentiation among wheat cultivars. Water retention of intact plants following exposure to low vapor pressure was correlated with survival-survival was greater in barley and wheat than in oats after the tissue had reached a given water level. Tetrazolium ratings decreased sharply in leaves in which the relative water content was lowered to values of 30% or less. Resaturation values were strongly correlated with relative water content after drying of five wheat and one rye cultivars, indicating that drought avoidance is of greater importance than tolerance among these plants.

Key Words: Drying • Survival • Water retention • Hardening • Wheat • Barley • Oats

² Formerly AID Graduate Fellow (now Director of Agricultural Research, P. O. Box 226, Amman, Jordan); Professor of Botany; and former Research Assistant (present address, Agronomy Dept., University of Arkansas). The authors wish to thank Mr. Henry Magalit and Dr. R. D. Morrison, Statistical Laboratory, for their invaluable assistance in statistical design and analysis.

Received for publication March 26, 1968.