Response of yield and its components of two wheat varieties to foliar spraying with stearic acid

Abstract

As a result of the excessive use of mineral fertilizers, it has led to an increase in the accumulation of pollutants in the soil and an imbalance in the elements present in it , leading to a decrease in crop productivity and quality, in addition to serious health problems for humans and animals, Therefore, attention in recent research has focused on the use of safe and environmentally friendly materials, including stearic acid, Therefore, a field experiment was conducted at Experiments Station affiliated to the Department of field crops, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Baghdad during the winter season of 2022-2023, aiming to study the effect of foliar spraying with stearic acid on some traits of yield and its components of wheat. Randomized complete block design within split-plot arrangement with three replications was used. The study included two factors, the first (the main plots) represented two varieties of wheat (Buhooth 22 and Adina), while the second factor in the sub-plot represented spraying with stearic acid at three concentrations of 100, 200, and 300 mg/L, in addition to the control treatment (without spraying). The experiment results showed the superiority of the variety Buhooth 22 to Adina in most yield traits, as the highest average grain yield was recorded at 5.38 t/ha. Regarding the concentrations of the sprayed stearic acid, the results showed the superiority of the concentration 300 mg/L in number of spikes, weight of 1000 grain, grain yield, and harvest index. The concentration 300 mg/L didn’t differ significantly with the concentration mg/L in most traits, especially the total grain yield, which amounted to 5.88 t/ha. We conclude that Buhooth 22 cultivar and stearic acid with 200 mg/L concentration recorded the best results.