Assessment of Screening Techniques for Heat Tolerance in Wheat

Abstract

Heat causes considerable damage to the wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em Thell.) plant. The present method of assessing heat tolerance in wheat, which is based on cell membrane thermostability, is not efficient for screening large numbers of genotypes. This study compares the efficiencies of two modified methods with that of the original method for measuring heat damage in wheat genotypes. Percent heat damage was analyzed by an errors‐in‐variables approach. Measurements of the original method were regressed on measurements of the new methods. The first modified method, is 25% more efficient than the original method and possesses similar accuracy. In the second method, the slope differed from unity by 3% and the intercept was −3.21, but the ranks of the tested genotypes did not change. Therefore, for screening heat‐tolerant genotypes relative to a check, the second method, which is 50% more efficient than the original method, is recommended because the relative classification of genotypes into tolerant and susceptible groups does not change with a constant difference in the measurements.