EVALUATION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF TRITICALE SAMPLES UNDER WATER DEFICIT CONDITIONS

The study presents the results of an investigation into the physiological parameters of 12 triticale samples under water deficit conditions. The experimental work was carried out at the experimental site of the Institute of Genetic Resources. The assessment of water status (water deficit, relative water content, water-holding capacity) and photosynthetic pigment content was conducted during the stem elongation phase. It was found that the water deficit in control plants ranged from 13,0% to 29,0%, while in the experimental samples, it reached 16.7% to 38,7%, with the highest value observed in accession TRL-465. The relative water content in the control group was 71.0–86.9%, whereas under drought conditions, it ranged from 61.3% to 83.2% (the lowest value in TRL-465, the highest in TRL-455). The water-holding capacity under optimal conditions varied between 62.6% and 81.0%, while under water deficit, it ranged from 62.8% to 90.8%, demonstrating the lowest resilience in accession TRL-466 (62.8%) and the highest in TRL-472 (90.8%). Analysis of photosynthetic pigment content revealed varying degrees of chlorophyll degradation in most accessions. The obtained data indicate that under water deficit conditions the most drought-resistant samples were those that combined a minimal increase in water deficit, maintaining the relative water content at a level of >70%, increasing water-holding capacity and stability of photosynthetic pigments. Based on these findings, triticale samples TRL-472 and TRL-479 can be classified as highly resistant to water deficit, while samples TRL-455, TRL-456, TRL-458, TRL-462, and TRL-463 demonstrated consistent drought tolerance."