EVALUATION OF DROUGHT TOLERANCE AND YIELD CAPACITY OF BARLEY (Hordeum vulgare) GENOTYPES UNDER IRRIGATED AND WATER-STRESSED CONDITIONS

Twelve barley genotypes developed through different selection methods were evaluated under drought and irrigated conditions. The results of a correlation matrix revealed highly significant associations between Grain Yield (Yp) and Mean Productivity (MP), Stress Tolerance Index (STI), Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP) and Yield Index (YI) under irrigated conditions while the Mean Productivity (MP), Yield Stability Index (YSI), Stress Tolerance Index (STI), Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP) and Yield Index (YI) had a high response under stressed condition. Based on a principal component analysis, Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP), Mean Productivity (MP) and Stress Tolerance Index (STI) were considered to be the best parameters for selection of drought-tolerant genotypes. The 2-row barley genotypes B-07023 and B-07021 performed better in yield response under drought conditions and were more stable under stress conditions. Furthermore, drought stress reduced the yield of some genotypes while others were tolerant to drought, suggesting genetic variability in this material for drought tolerance.