The efficiency of different methods in vitro cell selection in immature embryo culture of 10 spring soft and durum wheat varieties for resistance to osmotic stress was estimated. It is shown that the hard selection with a sublethal doze of sodium chloride as a selective agent for the selection of stress resistant cell lines and regenerants of soft wheat is possible only for genotypes with a high regenerative potential. Varieties with a low regeneration level should be cultured at moderate adaptive dozes of the osmotic agent, which allows obtaining the necessary amount of material for subsequent testing on stress conditions in vivo. It was established that the cell cultures regeneration capabilities of durum wheat become higher while using the method of step selection. Under the conditions of hard selection regeneration frequency was reduced twice in comparison with soft selection and averaged 62,7% of the total number of proliferating cell lines. Comparative analysis of the field drought-resistance of varieties with responses to a method of selection showed that the success of regeneration at soft selection is mostly determined by the genotype regenerative potential in vitro, but not its resistance to the drought. For the soft selection an adaptive concentration (0,4%) of the selective agent such as sodium chloride was recommended. Step selection should be carried out according to the scheme 0,4 → 0,6 → 0,8 → 1,0% with alternating one passage through the selective and nonselective conditions.