Soil moisture stress on Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

The six varieties namely, BSH-2, IBON/97, BB-1, BB-2, KARAN-19 and KARAN-163 were treated with single stress at crown root initiation stage, single stress at heading stage, double stresses, one at crown root initiation and the other at heading stage with a control (without stress). Yield and yield components and the growth factors were affected by all soil moisture treatments. Correlation analysis of grain yield and yield contributing characters indicates a high positive correlation coefficient with 1000-grain weight, harvest index, tiller number/plant, fertile tiller number/plant and the total dry organic matter. Water stress both at crown root initiation and at heading stage was the most critical than at other stages. However, in between these two, stress at the heading stage was the highest. The variety BSH-2 was the most susceptible whereas; KARAN-163 was the least susceptible one. Out of the six cultivars of, KARAN-163 gave very good grain yield under all soil moisture stresses. KARAN-19 might be suitable for cultivation in unfavorable environments like non-irrigated condition for its higher grain yield.