Dynamics of Soluble Carbohydrates in Winter Wheat Under Irrigated and Rainfed Conditions: Genetic Potential and Environmental Factors

This study aimed to evaluate the carbohydrate dynamics at the tillering nodes of four winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars (Antonina, Yaksart, Moskvich, and Ilgor) under irrigated and rainfed conditions in the semi-arid Nurobod District, Uzbekistan.Soluble sugar quantification used the HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) during the wintering period (December-March).The twoway analysis of variance revealed the cultivars (Factor A) were the dominant driver of total variance in sugar variation (74.5%-76.8%) in January, while the growing conditions (Factor B) approximately contributed 10% (P ≤ 0.001).A significant negative correlation (r = -0.84) between the soil moisture and total sugar content disclosed the robust osmotic adaptation under rainfed stress conditions.Among the wheat genotypes, locally adapted cultivars Yaksart and Ilgor exhibited the highest sugar retention and stability.The results suggested that while environmental stress factors trigger the sugar synthesis, the magnitude of the cryoprotective response was primarily the genotype genetic trait, proving cultivars Yaksart and Ilgor as highly resilient for dryland farming.