Impact of Benzyl Adenine on Metabolic Activities of Wheat under PEG Induced Water Stress

It is almost impossible to find a single process in plant life that is not affected by both stress and hormones directly or indirectly. This research work is focused on the interactions between water stress and benzyl adenine. Benzyl adenine is an active plant growth substance which can increase the drought resistance of different plants. Water, the most important component of life, is rapidly becoming a critically short commodity for humans and crop production. Limited water supply is one of the major abiotic factors that adversely affect agricultural crop production worldwide. Drought stress influences the normal physiology and growth of plants in many ways. In the present investigation, drought induced changes pertaining to various biomolecules were analyzed in four wheat varieties (GW-11, GW-496, GW-12-55 and GW-1). Water deficit stress was imposed for 3 days on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) at seedling stage. Results showed that the benzyl adenine soaking seed treatment significantly improved the moisture, relative water content, total chlorophyll and total carotenoids in wheat.