Kosova Mısır (Zea mays L.) Genotiplerinde Çimlenme Sırasında PEG Kaynaklı Stres Kullanılarak Kuraklık Toleransının Değerlendirilmesi

Öz

Kuraklık, özellikle çimlenme dönemi ve fide gelişiminin erken evrelerinde, mısırın (Zea mays L.) verimliliğini ciddi şekilde kısıtlayan en önemli abiyotik streslerden biridir. Bu çalışmada, farklı bölgelerden toplanan 60 Kosova yerel mısır genotipi ile Türkiye’den (Kompozit Şeker) alınan ve karşılaştırma amacıyla referans genotip olarak kullanılan bir ticari mısır genotipinin çimlenme aşamasında kuraklık toleransı sistematik olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Kontrollü laboratuvar koşullarında, su eksikliği stresini simüle etmek amacıyla polietilen glikol (PEG 6000) farklı derişimlerde (%10, %20 ve %30) uygulanmıştır. Denemede çimlenme yüzdesi (G%), ortalama çimlenme süresi (G/gün), kök ve sürgün uzunluğu ile yaş ağırlık (YA) ve kuru ağırlık (KA) gibi temel morfolojik ve fizyolojik özellikler detaylı şekilde ölçülmüştür. PEG derişimi arttıkça, çimlenmede belirgin azalmalar ve fide gelişiminde güçlü bir baskı gözlenmiş olup, en olumsuz etkiler özellikle %30 PEG uygulamasında ortaya çıkmıştır. Temel bileşen analizi (PCA) ve hiyerarşik kümeleme analizi, genotiplerin stres yanıtlarına göre açık bir şekilde gruplandığını göstermiş ve materyaller arasında yüksek düzeyde genetik çeşitlilik olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Özellikle ACC16, ACC18 ve ACC46 genotipleri, tüm stres düzeylerinde (%10, 20, 30 PEG) ve incelenen özelliklerde üstün performans sergileyerek erken gelişim aşamasında güçlü kuraklık toleransı göstermiştir. Bu bulgular, Kosova’ya özgü yerel mısır genetik kaynaklarının, kuraklığa dayanıklı aleller için değerli bir genetik rezerv olduğunu vurgulamakta ve iklim değişikliğine dayanıklı yeni mısır çeşitlerinin geliştirilmesine önemli katkılar sunmaktadır. Ayrıca, elde edilen sonuçlar sürdürülebilir mısır üretimi, tarımsal verimliliğin artırılması ve gelecekteki tarımsal stratejilerin planlanması açısından da yol gösterici niteliktedir. Mevcut literatüre göre, bu çalışma PEG kaynaklı ozmotik stres altında Kosova kökenli yerel mısır genotiplerinde kuraklık toleransını değerlendiren önemli ilk kapsamlı çalışmalardan biridir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• PEG 6000
• Çimlenme
• Genotip
• Ozmotik stres
• Genetik çeşitlilik

Evaluation of Drought Tolerance in Kosovo Maize (Zea mays L.) Genotypes during Germination Using PEG-Induced Stress

Öz

Drought represents one of the most critical abiotic stresses that severely restrict maize (Zea mays L.) productivity, especially during the germination phase and the early development of seedlings. In this study, drought tolerance was assessed in a total of 60 maize genotypes originating from different regions of Kosovo, along with one commercial maize genotype (Kompozit Şeker) from Türkiye, which was included intentionally as a reference genotype to enable a clearer comparison of stress responses. Polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) was applied at concentrations of 10%, 20%, and 30% to simulate osmotic stress conditions and to uniformly induce water-deficit environments under controlled laboratory conditions. The traits evaluated in this experiment included germination percentage (G%), mean germination time (G/day), and several important root and shoot characteristics such as length, fresh weight (FW), and dry weight (DW). As PEG concentration increased, significant reductions in germination and substantial inhibition of seedling growth were observed, with the most pronounced negative effects occurring under the 30% PEG treatment. Principal component analysis (PCA) together with hierarchical clustering clearly distinguished the accessions into separate groups based on their measured stress responses, demonstrating a high degree of genotypic diversity among the evaluated materials. Several genotypes-most notably ACC16, ACC18, and ACC46-exhibited consistently superior performance across all traits and stress intensities, indicating strong drought tolerance at the early growth stage. These findings highlight that the local maize genetic resources of Kosovo represent a valuable genetic reservoir for drought-tolerant alleles and provide important contributions to the development of new maize varieties resilient to climate change. Additionally, the results serve as a guide for sustainable maize production, improving agricultural productivity, and planning future agricultural strategies. According to the available literature, this is one of the first studies evaluating drought tolerance in local maize genotypes from Kosovo under PEG-induced osmotic stress.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• PEG 6000
• Germination
• Genotypes
• Osmotic stress
• Genetic diversity

Kaynakça

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