Early Selection of Drought Tolerant Maize Genotypes Using Physio- Morphological Traits

Maize ( Zea mays ) is a broadly cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain and it is a global staple food. However, water shortage pose a serious threat to its production globally. Drought stress negatively affects the growth and development of maize leading to, less germination, diminished grain yield and quality. The experiment was performed in a wire house of the department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, at The Islamia University of Bahawalpur. Eighteen maize genotypes were screened for drought at various levels during the seedling stage using complete randomized design (CRD). The major traits chlorophyll content, shoot length, root length, fresh shoot weight, dry root weight, fresh root weight and dry root weight traits were studied. The genotypes MERAJ-2019, SILVER-2019, SAR-SUBZ-2019, Sarhad white performed when water stress was imposed and considered as drought-tolerant keeping in view these performances, we can increase the yield by using this breeding material from above screening genotypes of maize under drought stress and overcome the challenges of drought in Agriculture sector of Pakistan.