Effect of Seed Invigoration with Nitrate Salts on Morpho-Physiological and Growth Parameters of Wheat Crop Sown in Different Dates in its Cropping Season

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to study the impact of seed invigoration treatments with Mg (NO3)2 and KNO3 in two wheat varieties viz. HUW-234 and HUW-468 under three different dates of sowing i.e. timely (D1), late (D2) and very late (D3). The parameters like plant height (PH), number of tillers, number of leaves, leaf area (LA), dry weight, leaf area index (LAI), crop growth rate (CGR), length of ear head, number of grain per ear and grain yield per plant were highest with nitrate treatment T1 [Mg (NO3)2] whereas relative growth rate (RGR) and net assimilation rate (NAR) were highest with T2 [KNO3]. Treatment T1 recorded minimum days to 50% flowering and maximum days to physiological maturity in comparison to T0 [control]. The plant raised under D1 took maximum days to 50% flowering, days to physiological maturity and recorded highest dry weight, pH, number of tillers, number of leaves, LA, LAI, CGR, NAR while lowest duration was recorded in D3. However, the value of RGR was found highest in D3 than D2 and D1. Among the variety, HUW-234 performed better than the HUW-468 for all the characters. Seed invigoration with nitrate showed an improvement in overcoming the late sown stress in wheat.