Genome resequencing and transcriptome profiling reveal molecular evidence of tolerance to water deficit in barley

•First report whole genome wide comparative analysis of drought tolerant wild barley vs cultivated barley.•Drought tolerance in Tibetan wild barley attributes to candidate genes with unique genetic variants and expression patterns.•Wild barley employs effective regulators to activate various responsive pathways to adapted to water deficit conditions.•Novel functional genes HvZIFL2 and HvPOD11 positively regulate drought tolerance.