Effect of post-anthesis water stress on accumulation of dry matter, carbonand nitrogen and their partitioning in wheat varieties differing in drought tolerance

In four wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars of tall (C306 and Narmada) a nd dwarf (HD2329 and Kundan) type, post-anthesis water stress affected the dry matter accumulation in plant parts with respect to main shoot controls. HD2329 among the dwarf types and Narmada 112 among the tall types were mor e adversely affected by stress, with greater reductions in their biomass an d grain yield. Of the tolerant types, C306 (tall) showed a marginal reducti on while Kundan (dwarf) had no reduction in these parameters as a result of stress. The results also indicated a varietal response to carbon and nitro gen accumulation and their partitioning in the main shoot when subjected to post-anthesis stress. In the susceptible dwarf cultivar HD2329, and in the susceptible tall cultivar Narmada 112, carbon and nitrogen contents were r educed in the grains of stressed main shoots. Of the tolerant cultivars, th e dwarf type Kundan was not affected by stress, while the tall type C306 re gistered an increase in carbon content and its partitioning to grain.