Department of Biotechnology, Uttaranchal College of Applied and Lifesciences

Uttaranchal University, Dehradun

Wheat is one of the most crucial food crop cultivated in India and across the world on large scale to meet the nutritional demand of ever increasing human population. Like any other food crop cultivation, growth and productivity of wheat is also challenged by environmental stress among which soil salinity, presence of heavy metals in soil, drought and release of industrial effluent (textiles, pharmaceuticals, leather, paper and pulp and other industries) are of prime concern. Several studies have been conducted to evaluate effect of salt, metals and effluent on growth of wheat varieties and a general consensus reveal negative impact of such environmental stress not only on growth (germination rate, shoot length, root length, etc) but also on productivity (number and size of grains, protein content, etc).  Hence there are required measures to be taken to control unrestricted release of untreated industrial effluent in agricultural fields and also to check other factors (use of chemical fertilizers, etc) which may adversely affect nature of soil. Reduction in utilization of polluted/ toxic waste water, replacing chemical fertilizers by biofertilizers, selection of stress tolerant varieties can collaboratively result in optimum growth and maximum productivity.