Effects of drought stress on germination indices of corn hybrids (Zea mays L.)

Water deficit is one of the most wide spread constraint to crop productivity in the world and it is of prime necessity to try to find suitable genotype resistant to drought stress conditions.. In order to study the effect of drought stress on germination and early seedling growth of corn, an experiment was designed with four hybrids of corn (KSC704, KSC475, KSC500 and Consor) by using five concentrations of PEG 6000 (0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 bar). The experiment was laid out in completely randomized design with four replications in Seed Technology Laboratory of College of Abuoraihan, University of Tehran. Results of analysis of variance showed significant differences among hybrids, stress levels and its interaction for most investigated traits, which demonstrates high diversity among hybrids that enabled us to screen drought tolerant cultivar. To find the best tolerant hybrid to drought stress conditions, taking all traits into account in this study, we found that KSC704 is the most resistant and KSC500 is the most sensitive hybrid.