The Effect of Exogenous Applications of Salicylic Acid on Drought Tolerance and Up-Regulation of the Drought Response Regulon of Iraqi Wheat

Drought is a major limiting factor of wheat production globally. In this research, salicylic acid was used in order to increase drought tolerance in Tamooz 2 of Iraqi wheat. It was observed that the SA treatment had animportant positive impact on the final wheat biomass and on the yield components (spike drying weight, grain dry weight, 1000 grain dry weight). The significant positive role of SA treatment on the up-regulation of CBF14 gene was confirmed. The expression of CBF14 was significantly affected by the developmental stage of wheat plants and the period between SA spray and sampling. We believe that results obtained in this study help to understand more deeply the molecular mechanism of drought tolerance in wheat. It could also have important practical applications, especially for wheat growers in dry climates.