Good healthy wheat seeds were manually selected and surface sterilized with 5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) solution for 10 minutes, washed with distilled water several times, and briefly blotted into fine quality filter paper. Seeds were germinated in covered sterilized Petri dishes containing germination paper moistened with 10ml of different concentrations of PEG-600 separately. There were 20 seeds of each wheat genotype placed in Petri dish with three replications covered with black muslim cloth and then kept in an incubator in randomized block design for 8 days at 25/20°C day/night temperature. Seeds were considered germinated when the emergent radicle reached 2mm in length. Germination percentage was recorded after 192 hours (8 days) of growth.

Germination of 31 wheat genotypes/lines, which were screened out from 170 genotypes/ lines has been shown in Table 1. In all wheat genotypes/lines, the germination percentage decreased with increasing osmotic stress. It was observed that 31 genotypes/ lines showed more than 60 percent germination at 0.5 and 0.75 MPa, however C-591, CM-24/87, QM 4531, QM-4934, RG-24, SARC-I, V-8319, M-172 performed well even at 1.0 MPa demonstrating high genetic potential for drought resistance during germination.

According to Wiggns and Gardner (1959), water stress can affect germination by delaying initiation. Cianiprorova and Luxova (1976) noted cessation of root growth in maize plant when exposed for 24-48 hours to PEG solution as a result of the inhibition of cell elongation and division. The most tolerant variety was C-591 having 100 percent germination even at the highest water stress level (1.0 MPa), when compared with control. Similarly, the most sensitive varieties were found to be V-8001, AGA, H-68 at highest water stress level (1.0 MPa). It was also observed that degree of reduction increased proportionally with increasing concentration of PEG-6000 solution in the growth medium.