Effect of preceding crops and foliar micronutrients applications on yield and yield components of bread wheat under sandy soil conditions

Abstract EN

Two field experiments were conducted during 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 seasons at the experimental farm of the Agricultural Research Station, Agric.

Res.

Center, Ismailia Governorate, Egypt (Lat.

30° 35' 30" N, Long.

32° 14' 50" E, 10 m ASL), to evaluate the effect of fallow (control(, clover and fodder maize as a preceding crops and foliar application of some micronutrients on yield and yield components of wheat cv.

Gemmiza 11.

The experimental design was split plot with three replications.

Main plots were allocated by preceding crops and sub plots were occupied by three micronutrients salts FeSO₄, ZnSO₄ and MnSO_4, in seven combinations of micronutrients foliar application T1: (Fe +Zn + Mn), T2: (Fe +Zn), T3: (Fe + Mn), T4: Fe, T5: (Zn + Mn), T6: Zn and T7: Mn.

Micronutrients were sprayed three times at 30, 60 and 90 days after sowing.

Results showed that wheat significantly affected by the preceding summer crops.

Clover as a preceding crop left good residual effect on wheat plant which gave the highest values for all studied characters e.

g.

plant height, number of spikes/m², No.

of spikelets/spike, No.

of grains/spike, 1000 grain weight and grain yield as well as straw and grain contents from Fe, Mn and Zn in the two seasons.

With respect to micronutrients, the results showed that the differences between these treatments had significant effect on each of plant height, number of spikes/m², No.

of spikelets/spike, No.

of grains/spike, 1000 grain weight and grain yield.

The foliar application of mixture nutrients (Fe + Mn + Zn) produced the highest values of yield and its components during both seasons.

Moreover, the foliar spray of Fe, Mn and Zn (alone or together and all three nutrients) has significant effect on wheat straw and grain-Fe, Mn and Zn concentrationduring the two seasons.

Also, the results indicated that the interaction between preceding crops and micronutrients treatments had insignificant effect on all studied characters, except 1000 grain weight in the first season and number of spikelets/spike in the second one.

In conclusion growing wheat following to clover and foliar application by mixture of Fe+Mn+Zn produced the maximum net income valued 2186 and 2098 LE.

fad^-1 during two seasons, respectively, compared to the other treatments.