Multi-Trait Index-Based Selection of Drought Tolerant Wheat: Physiological and Biochemical Profiling.

Drought is a detrimental abiotic stress that severely limits wheat growth and productivity worldwide by altering several physiological processes. Thus, understanding the mechanisms of drought tolerance is essential for the selection of drought-resilient features and drought-tolerant cultivars for wheat breeding programs. This exploratory study evaluated 14 wheat genotypes (13 relatively tolerant, one susceptible) for drought endurance based on flag leaf physiological and biochemical traits during the critical grain-filling stage in the field conditions.