Pre-Anthesis Nutritional Status of Spelt Wheat as a Tool for Predicting the Attainable Grain Yield

Abstract

The nutrient content in leaves of spelt wheat at late heading is crucial for the development of its yield components, and in consequence, grain yield. This hypothesis was verified based on data from long-term field experiments with four potassium (K) treatments based on the progressive K supply potential to plants from soil and fertilizer and two magnesium treatments (−Mg, +Mg). The number of ears (NE) and the number of grains per ear (NGE) responded significantly to the increased K and Mg supply. The grain yield was positively correlated with NGE. A shortage of N and Mg resulted in a lower NGE, whereas a shortage of N and Zn, concomitant with an excess of Ca, resulted in a significant decrease in NGE and thousand-grain weight. This effect can be diminished by the increased content of Mg. It has been revealed that the content of Zn in leaves of spelt wheat at heading is an important nutritional factor effectively controlling N, P and Fe contents in grain, and consequently, grain yield. This study showed that the content of nutrients in spelt leaves measured just before anthesis can be used for reliable prediction of the grain yield.