Determination of the Short-Term Drought Stress Tolerance of Three Barley Varieties Using Physiological and Biochemical Changes

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is an important agricultural plant that can adapt to stress conditions. Abiotic stress factors significantly reduce growth, photosynthetic efficiency and metabolic processes in barley. Drought stress increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plant cells, and the antioxidant defense system reduces damage caused by overproduction of ROS. The aim of this study was to determine the physiological and biochemical effects of short-term drought stress on some barley cultivars (Kalaycı-97, Harman and Yaprak) grown in Turkey. In 21-day-old seedlings, short-term drought stress decreased the total chlorophyll content. The amount of total protein reduced in the Harman variety, while it increased by 19% in Kalaycı-97 and 27% in Yaprak. The H2O2 content decreased in Yaprak while increasing by 76% in the Kalaycı-97 variety. It was demonstrated that TBARS levels increased by 62% in Kalaycı-97 and 26% in Yaprak. In other ways, while drought stress caused a 48% decrease in APX activity in Kalaycı-97, it caused a 42% and 20% increase in APX activity in Harman and Yaprak, respectively. However, in Kalaycı-97 and Yaprak, CAT increased by 48% and 69%, respectively. These results indicate that Yaprak genotype is tolerant, Kalaycı-97 sensitive and Harman moderately tolerant to short term drought stress.