We studied wheat genes considered important in drought hardiness, focusing on two water stress tolerant (’Plainsman V’, ‘Mv Emese’) and two sensitive ('GK Élet’, ’Cappelle Desprez’) varieties. The expression levels of the dehydrin gene (Wdhn13) and transcription factors binding to the C repeat region (Cbf14, Cbf15) were examined in non-stressed seedlings with RT-qPCR. It was assumed that these known dehydration responsive effector and regulator genes may contribute to the different behavior of varieties under stress. The expression level of Wdhn13 was higher in tolerant than in the mildly sensitive varieties. Therefore, a connection could be established between early, spontaneous expression of Wdhn13 and drought stress tolerance of wheat. Expression of Cbf14 was only noteworthy in ‘Plainsman V’. The Cbf15 transcript could hardly be detected in the leaves of non-stressed seedlings. In case of cold stress, independent regulation of the two Cbf genes has already been described.

Keywords: wheat (Triticum aestivumL.), drought stress, dehydrin genes, CBF genes