NITROGEN FERTILIZER APPLICATION TIME EFFECT ON THE SENESCENCE AND GRAIN YIELD OF DURUM WHEAT (TRITICUM DURUM DESF.)

Abstract

The experiment progressed to evaluate the effects of time nitrogen fertilizer application on the senescence of durum wheat and its association with grain yield and its components. The experimental treatments, set up in a split-plot design, used five durum wheat cultivars (Adnham, Grecale, Duma, Sardar, Svevo) as the main plots, and the time nitrogen fertilizer application (100% tillering, 100% stem elongation, and 50% tillering + 50% stem elongation stages) under two locations in Northern Iraqi conditions. The results of this study indicated that late senescence cultivars (Grecale and Svevo) produced the highest flowering date (123.89 and 123.61 days), number of spikes/m2 (267.2 and 265.6 spikes), number of grains/10 spikes (330.5 and 323.6 grains), grain yield g/m2 (532.2 and 511.6 g), and harvest index% (38.72% and 39.86%). Moreover, the time of nitrogen fertilizer application at the tillering stage (early application) influenced most of the studied traits. Finally, extending photosynthesis capacity during the grain-filling phases by delaying the rate of senescence could be a better approach to improving the grain yield of wheat cultivars.