Leaf n-alkane δ13C improves upon conventional bulk leaf δ13C for assessing drought sensitivity of winter wheat cultivars

Efficiently assessing drought resistance of different cultivars is crucial for genotypic selection. The existing indicators, however, do not adequately cover both aspects of drought resistance: grain yield differences among cultivars under drought conditions, and drought sensitivity of a specific cultivar in response to water condition changes from wet to dry. Carbon isotopes have shown promise in this regard, but the commonly used bulk leaf carbon isotope (δ13Cbulk) is not consistently correlated with grain yield, resulting in an inability to consistently predict drought resistance. This study explored the effectiveness of carbon isotopes, particularly the n-alkane carbon isotope (δ13Calk), in assessing drought resistance of different cultivars in both aspects of drought resistance and provide insights into the potential mechanisms behind the inconsistent relationships between δ13Cbulk and grain yield. We conducted field experiments involving multiple cultivars and irrigation treatments on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and measured the δ13Cbulk and δ13Calk on various growth stages and organs. Our study found that neither leaf δ13Cbulk nor δ13Calk could consistently predict the grain yield difference among cultivars under the same water treatment. This inconsistency is due to the influence of cultivar characteristics and post-photosynthetic carbon isotope fractionations. However, leaf δ13Calk demonstrated a more robust and consistent correlation than leaf δ13Cbulk as a surrogate for the drought sensitivity of different cultivars to reduced water conditions. The accuracy of evaluation can be influenced by the sampling periods and organs, with the optimal strategy being the collection of flag leaf at early grain filling stage. The key findings of our study highlight the advantages of leaf δ13Calk in assessing the crop drought sensitivity and evaluating drought-resistant cultivars. •Leaf n-alkane δ13C showed stronger correlations than bulk leaf δ13C in indicating drought sensitivity.•Inconsistent predictions of δ13C on yield were attributed to cultivar traits and post-photosynthetic isotope fractionations.•Sampling periods and organs impact accuracy with the optimal strategy of collecting flag leaf during early grain filling.