Abstract:
Water stress experienced by a
wheat crop during growth is recognized to
have accumulative effect stated as a decline
in total biomass over well water potential.
The yield and nutrient uptake performance
of two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
varieties (Pirsabak-2013 and Atta Habib) to
foliar feeding of 2% potassium (K) at three
various growth phases (Zadoks GS-22,
Zadoks GS-60 and Zadoks GS-73) was
explored under water restricted environment
in a wire house trial at the Agriculture
Research Station, Harichand, Charsadda.
The target was to find out the preeminent K
application stage for enhancement in the
drought tolerance potential. Drought stress
was generated by suppression of irrigation
at the three growth phases and then K was
sprayed with the carboxymethyl cellulose as
a sticking agent, however Tween-20 was
used as a surfactant for foliar spray. Data
about several agronomic characters (plant
height, spike length, number of spikelets per
spike, number of grains per spike, 1000-
grain weight and grain yield per plant) of
crop were documented via standard
techniques. Moreover, at maturity,
aboveground nitrogen, phosphorus, K,
sodium and calcium uptakes by the crop
were determined. The results point out that
drought stress at all three acute growth
phases unfavorably affected plant height,
spike length, number of spikelets per spike,
number of grains per spike, 1000-grain
weight, grain yield and nutrient uptake of
the wheat plant. The exogenous K
application under drought stress at all three
acute growth phases boosted tolerance of
wheat by decreasing noxious nutrient’s
uptake and augmenting the yield and yield
characters. In this concerns, both varieties
exposed undeviating behavior. Extreme
enhancement in all the documented yield
parameters and nutrients uptake was
attained when K was practiced at grain
filling stage of both varieties.
