Effects of seed coating and foliar spraying on yield, yield components and some physiological traits of two rainfed barley cultivars

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Sararood Branch, Dryland Agricultural Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Kermanshah, Iran.

2 Dryland Agricultural Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Maragheh, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: In most cases, the actual yield of the crop is lower than the potential yield due to management and technology weaknesses, and the difference between them is considered the yield gap. One of the important aspects effective in reducing the yield gap of rainfed cereals is optimal plant nutrition. The use of pretreatment technology with nutrients (seed coating) along with foliar spraying may be effective in mitigating the effects of moisture stress in rainfed conditions and improving plant establishment, growth and yield. The present experiment was conducted with the aim of seed coating of barley seeds along with foliar spraying of nutrients during the growth and development period as supplementary nutrition methods, along with research recommendations for basal fertilizers.
Materials and methods: The experiment was conducted during the 2023-2024 crop year, using a factorial design based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experimental treatments included the application of basic fertilizer, seed coating and foliar application combinations as follows: 1- no seed coating + basic fertilizer research recommendation, 2- seed coating + basic fertilizer research recommendation, 3- no seed coating + basic fertilizer research recommendation + foliar application and 4- seed coating + basic fertilizer research recommendation + foliar application on two barley varieties, Qaflan and Artan, which are suitable for cultivation in moderate cold temperate regions. The research recommendation for basic nitrogen fertilizer is 85 kg/ha of urea for rainfed barley, of which 65 kg/ha was applied in the fall as a substrate under the seedbed and 20 kg/ha at the earliest opportunity in March (depending on environmental conditions). Additionally, phosphorus fertilizer was not applied due to the presence of absorbable phosphorus, with an average concentration of 12.5 mg/kg.
Results: The results of the experiment showed that the effect of supplementary nutrition on grain yield, yield components, plant height, spike length, SPAD and NDVI was significant. Also, significant differences were observed between the two barley cultivars only in grain yield traits, thousand-grain weight, harvest index, SPAD and NDVI. The highest grain yield (2832 kg/ha), thousand-grain weight (43.9 g), spike number (292 spikes/m2) and spikelet number per spike (21 spikelets per spike) were obtained in the treatment of seed coating + basic fertilizer research recommendation + foliar spraying, and the lowest grain yield (1712 kg/ha), thousand-grain weight (35 g), spike number (179 spikes/m2) and spikelet number (18 spikelets per spike) were obtained in the treatment without seed coating + basic fertilizer research recommendation. For other traits, their highest and lowest values ​​were also obtained in the two mentioned combinations.
Conclusion: In case of adequate rainfall during rapid growth and the stage of storing nutrients in vegetative organs, using seed coating and supplementary nutrition through foliar spraying achieved adequate yield per area under rainfed conditions.

Keywords

References

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