Enhancing Wheat Productivity Through Genotypes and Growth Regulators Application Under Higher Fertility Conditions in Sub-humid Climate

Abstract

The stagnant crop productivity and declining factor productivity especially under rice-wheat system in changing climate scenario demand the adoption of nutrient responsive high yielding climate-resilient varieties. Considering these challenges, the present study was conducted during two consecutive Rabi seasons of 2020-21 and 2021-22 with an aim to improve wheat productivity through appropriate combinations of genotypes, nutrient management and plant growth regulators (PGRs). The experiment was conducted in split-plot design with two nutrient levels {recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) as 150:60:40 kg N, P₂O₅ and K₂O ha^-1, respectively, and 150% RDF + 15 t FYM (farm yard manure) ha^-1 + two sprays of PGRs consisting of tank-mix of chlormequat chloride @ 400 g + tebuconazole @ 172 g ha^-1 at the first node and flag leaf stage} in main-plots and nine genotypes (DBW187, DBW303, DBW327, DBW332, DBW370, DBW371, DBW372, HD3086 and PBW872) in sub-plots. The plant height significantly reduced while earheads m^-2 and grains m^-2 improved with PGRs application under high fertility which led to increased (12.6%) mean grain yield over RDF. Among genotypes, maximum yield was observed for DBW370 (67.84 q ha^-1) followed by PBW872, DBW371 and DBW372. Nutrient management and genotype interaction revealed that more grains m^-2 in DBW370 led to maximum yield (66.2 q ha^-1) at RDF while bolder grains in PBW872 made it top yielder (71.16 q ha^-1) under high fertility condition. It is concluded that productivity of modern wheat cultivars can be improved through higher fertility and tank-mix application of chlormequat + tebuconazole.