Genotype-specific responses to actinobacteria under moisture stress in wheat: Insights from phenological physiological and yield traits

Abstract

A study was conducted to evaluate the performance of 20 wheat genotypes under moisture stress conditions with and without Actinobacteria inoculation focusing on phenological morphological physiological and yield related traits. Significant genotype × treatment interactions were observed for all studied traits indicating genotype specific responses to microbial intervention. Actinobacteria treatment generally delayed flowering and maturity extended the grain filling period and enhanced plant height productive tillerings spike and peduncle length and grain attributes. Physiological parameters including SPAD chlorophyll content relative water content NDVI indices and leaf waxiness were also improved under microbial inoculation reflecting better drought adaptation. Genotypes UASBW 13039 (G15) UASBW 11421 (G13) and UAS 334 (G11) exhibited superior performance across structural physiological and yield traits whereas Bejaga yellow (G5) HD2888 (G10) and UASDW 31138 (G20) showed comparatively lower values under untreated stress. These results demonstrate that Actinobacteria effectively mitigates drought stress in wheat with pronounced benefits in genotypes possessing inherent drought tolerance and underscores the potential of integrating microbial inoculation into breeding and crop management strategies for enhanced productivity under moisture deficit environments.