The Effects of Vapor Gard on some Physiological Traits of Durum Wheat and Barley Leaves under Water Stress

The use of antitranspirants is one method of mitigating water while increasing the yield of cereal crops. Experiments were carried out on a durum wheat (Triticum durum L.) variety (Karim) and a barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) variety (Rihane) to study the effects of Vapor Gard (VG; di-1-p-menthene), an antitranspirant, on two physiological traits at two different growth stages. The study was conducted in a glasshouse under water stress and VG was sprayed twice at three concentrations (5, 7, and 10%) at tillering and stem elongation stages. VG spray reduced the effect of water stress on durum wheat and barley varieties. Leaf water potential (LWP) was significantly increased, albeit at different rates, for the two cereal species. However, no significant change was observed for photosynthetic rate (PR). These results favor the use of VG although more studies are recommended on other physiological traits to strongly support the application of this antitranspirant.