RELATIVE GROWTH RATES OF SPRING WHEAT, OATS, AND BARLEY UNDER POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL-INDUCED WATER STRESS

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Abstract
Seedlings of wheat, oats, and barley were grown in nutrient solution and subjected to uniform water stresses by the addition of different amounts of polyethylene glycol to the medium. The polyethylene glycol was refined by passage through a combined millipore – ion exchange filter. The solution was circulated by an automatic system which drained and refilled growth tanks once every 45 minutes. Relative growth rates, calculated from changes in dry weight, were used as a measure of drought tolerance. Between the second and the sixth leaf stages, but not at the first leaf stage, the drought tolerance of Thatcher wheat was significantly greater than that of Exeter oats or Husky barley. Oats and barley responded similarly to water stress.
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