SSR markers associated with membrane stability in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Membrane stability has been suggested as a useful measure of drought tolerance in wheat breeding programs. We studied the association between membrane stability, as estimated by conductivity test after exposing plants to water stress in the field, and several SSR markers located on chromosome 7A. SSR markers wmc9, wmc596, wmc603 and barc108 were weakly but significantly associated with cell membrane stability after water stress and can be used for increasing the frequency of progenies with better performance under drought in a wheat breeding program.