Does Pre-Anthesis Water Deficit Affect Plant Height and Peduncle Length in Barely (Hordeum vulgare L.) Genotypes.

Barley ranked as the second important field crop in Jordan after wheat. Barley is adapted to harsh environments and low soil fertility compared to other cereal crops. It is mainly grown for food, and feed. Drought stress will have greater effect on barley crop during the pre-anthesis growth stage, which will result in intensified yield damages. Hence, there is a need to identify traits to better yield losses due to pre-anthesis drought. The objective of this study was to achieve better understanding of the effect of pre-anthesis drought on barley Plant height. In this study, the differences in plant height in 13 barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genotypes were tested in the greenhouse to investigate the effect of drought (water deficit) and its timing on Plant height and peduncle length on 13 barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genotypes. The stress treatment was applied to plants at two different pre-anthesis growth stages: tillering stage (SS) and stem elongation stage (SE). Results showed significant variations among the studied 13 barley genotypes with regard to measured traits.