Effect of Seeding Rates and Nitrogen Levels on Yield and Yield Components of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

A field experiment to investigate the effect of seeding rates and different levels of nitrogen on yield and yield components of wheat was conducted at Research Area, College of Agriculture, Dera Ghazi Khan. An approved cultivar Fareed-2006 was sown at seeding rates of 125, 150 and 175 kg/ha with five nitrogen levels of 0, 75, 100, 125 and 150 kg N/ha. Experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with split plot arrangement keeping seed rate in main plots and nitrogen levels in sub plots having three replications while, net plot size was 3 x 7 m². Yield components such as plant height (cm), spike length (cm), number of spikelets/spike, number of grain/spike, 1000-grain weight (g), biological yield (kg/ha), grain yield (kg/ha) and harvest index were maximum at seeding rate of 150 kg/ha and minimum at seeding rate of 125kg/ha while number of tillers were maximum at seeding rate of 175 kg/ha and minimum at seeding rate of 125kg/ha. Similarly plant height, number of tillers m^-2, spike length, number of spikelets/spike, number of grain/spike, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, biological yield and harvest index were highest at nitrogen at 125 kg/ha and lowest at zero level of nitrogen. The interaction between seeding rates and nitrogen levels was found non significant for plant height, number of tillers m^-2 spike length, number of spikelets/spike and 1000 grain weight while a significant interaction was noted for number of grain/ spike, grain yield, biological yield and harvest index and were maximum at seeding rate of 150 kg/ha with nitrogen level of 125 kg/ha.