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Plant sciences, sustainable farming systems and food quality
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Influence of seed priming techniques on grain yield and economic returns of bread wheat planted at different spacings

Muhammad Farooq https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4368-9357 A B C G , Mubshar Hussain D E , Muhammad Mazhar Habib B , Muhammad Shoaib Khan D , Imran Ahmad B , Shahid Farooq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6349-1404 F and Kadambot H. M. Siddique C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud 123, Oman.

B Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Agriculture University Road, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan.

C The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

D Department of Agronomy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Bosan Road, Multan 60000, Pakistan.

E Agriculture Discipline, College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia.

F Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Ghazi University, Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan.

G Corresponding author. Email: farooqcp@gmail.com

Crop and Pasture Science 71(8) 725-738 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP20065
Submitted: 26 February 2020  Accepted: 11 July 2020   Published: 13 August 2020

Abstract

A 3-year study evaluated the effect of different seed-priming techniques on the performance of two bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, Seher-2006 and Shafaq-2006, planted in rows spaced at 22.5 or 30 cm. Three seed priming techniques—on-farm priming, hydropriming, and osmopriming (using CaCl2)—and an untreated control (dry seeds) were included in the study. Seed priming resulted in earlier and more uniform crop emergence and improved allometric and yield-related traits compared with untreated seeds. Hydropriming and osmopriming significantly improved the allometric traits of Seher-2006 planted at 22.5-cm row spacing and Shafaq-2006 planted at 30-cm row spacing each year. The combination of osmopriming and 30-cm row spacing produced the highest number of productive tillers, number of grains per spike and 1000-grain weight across all experimental years. The highest grain yield and harvest index were recorded for osmopriming and 22.5-cm row spacing each year. Shafaq-2006 produced higher biological yield, whereas Seher-2006 produced the higher grain yield and harvest index. Osmoprimed seeds planted at 22.5-cm row spacing recorded the highest economic returns and benefit : cost ratios in both cultivars. In conclusion, planting osmoprimed seeds of wheat in 22.5-cm spaced rows could be effectively used to increase productivity and economic returns.

Additional keywords: crop establishment, canopy shading, economic analysis, specific leaf area.


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