Green Global
Foundation   Journal
...an emerging window for scientific research and publication across the globe

IRRIGATION WITHHOLDING AND POTASSIUM FOLIAR APPLICATION EFFECTS ON WHEAT YIELD AND QUALITY (Pages : 33 - 39)

A field experiment was carried out at Tag AL-Ezz, Agricultural Research Station Farm, Dakahlia Governorate, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt (+7 m altitude, 31O36' latitude and 30O 57' longitude), during 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 seasons to study the effect of irrigation withholding i.e. without (control treatment), withholding last irrigation and last two irrigations and potassium foliar application i.e. without (control treatment), 1.5 and 3.0 % K2O, as well as, their interaction on growth, yield and its components and grain quality of wheat cultivar Sakha 93. Also, a laboratory experiment was conducted at Seed Technology Research Unit in Mansoura, Dakahlia Governorate, Field Crop Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt, to determine the germination percentage and seedling vigor tests (seed quality) of seed produced from the field experiment. The results indicated that water stress during grain filling through withholding last or last two irrigations markedly reduced growth, straw and grain yields and its components as well as seed quality characters in both seasons. In contrary, slight increases in grain protein content were resulted from withholding treatments in both seasons. Foliar application of potassium at the rate of 3.0 % K2O gave the highest values of all studied wheat characters followed by 1.5 % K2O as compared with control treatment in both seasons. It can be concluded from this study that maximum values of grain and straw yields as well as quality of grains and seed could be achieved from wheat cultivar Sakha 93 giving five irrigations and sprayed with 3.0 % K2O. In case of shortage irrigation at the end of plant life cycle, it can be withholding the last irrigation and compensate happened reduction by spraying plants with 3.0 % K2O solution. Download