Phenology and Biomass Production of Wheat in Response to Micronutrients and Nitrogen Application
Phenology and Biomass Production of Wheat in Response to Micronutrients and Nitrogen Application
Ali Sher1*, Khalid Naveed1, Gulzar Ahmad2, Ayub Khan1, Muhammad Saeed1 and Shah Masaud1
ABSTRACT
Zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) are important micronutrients for the growth and development of plant. Improving N availability to plants improve biomass production and also increase the shoot Fe content and accumulation of Zn in wheat plants. Experiments were conducted at the Cereal Crop Research Institute (CCRI) Pirsabak, Noweshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan during 2014-15 and 2015-16 to study the response of wheat to N, Zn and Fe application. Treatments included three levels of N (90, 120 and 150 kg ha-1), three concentrations of Zn and Fe (i.e. 1, 2, 3 kg ha-1) each along with two controls i.e. no micro nutrients no water (control-I) and no micro nutrients + water (control-II). The N was soil applied and MN as foliar spray at booting stage. Days to anthesis, leaf area tiller-1, leaf area index, plant height, days to physiological maturity and biological yield were significantly increased by both N and Zn while the same parameters except days to anthesis, days to physiological maturity were also significantly enhanced by using Fe. Result revealed that higher leaf area tiller-1 (113 cm2), leaf area index (2.3), plant height (100 cm), biological yield (11431 kg ha-1) by 150 kg N ha-1 , 3 kg Zn ha-1 and 1 kg Fe ha-1 of wheat as compared to the control-I. In conclusion, 16 % increases in biomass production was observed with Zn and Fe at the rate of 3 and 1 kg ha-1 respectively along with 150 kg N ha-1 over no fertilization thus combination of the 150 kg ha-1, 3 kg Zn ha-1 and 1 kg Fe ha-1 is recommended for improving biomass and leaf area. Further studies are recommended to understand the mechanistic approach of such improvement.
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