INTERACTION OF WHEAT VARIETIES WITH DRY ENVIRONMENTS FROM THE OAXAQUE HIGH MIXTECA

Abstract

At two locations of the Mixteca Alta, a region of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, 65 samples of the so called "adventurous" wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were tested. This type of wheat is planted at the middle of the rain y season (summer) and harvested at the beginning of the next spring. The purpose of this study was to know about the mechanisms that allow these varieties to resist drought for long periods, without losing their ability to yield. Several adventurous wheat sampes were late varieties but they flowered and yielded well even under a soil moisture content below the permanent wilting point. Measurements on this type of wheats indicated turgor maintenance even at a water potential of -63 bars. Therefore, it is assumed that drought resistance of
these varieties could be explained in terms of osmotic adjustment.