Chlorophyll content and yield responses for withholding irrigation and Si foliar spray at normal and Nano source under different critical growth stages of wheat

Abstract

To determine the most important stages for skipping (withholding) irrigation, Investigate the role of silicon and irrigation rates in alleviating water stress effect on improving wheat production in the much critical stages, and Investigation the effect of K-silicate as an anti-stress substance on wheat under drought stress has been investigated, a field factorial experiment on wheat was carried out during the 2021-2022 growing season. Six treatments make up the first factor. The following treatments were used: I 0 no skipping; I 1 skipping at tillering (20 days after seeding "AS"); and I 2 skipping at the vegetative stage (45 days AS). I 3 skips flowering (60 days AS), I 4 skips milk (90 days AS), and I 5 skips the dough stage (110 days AS). Two Si treatments were performed: S 1 normal Si and S 2 Nano dose (2, 4, and 6 mLSiL -1 ) spray solutions of D 1 , D 2 , and D 3 . Plants treated with K silicate produced yields ranging from 6.116 from S 1 D 1 I 1 to 8.615 from S 2 D 3 I 0 , representing increases of 3.6 to 45.9%, respectively, over the non-Si treatments' average yield. Plants not getting silicates produced grain yields of I 1 (withholding irrigation during tillering) and I 0 (without withholding), which ranged in size from 5.045 to 6.175 Mgha-1, respectively. Plants that received silicates produced grain yields that ranged from 5.413 from S 1 C 1 I 1 to 8.279 from S 2 C 3 I 0 , a growth of 52.95%. The main consequence of the Nano application is a rise of 5.04%. I 1 (skipping at tillering) had the lowest yield of all the irrigation methods, producing 5.958 Mgha-1. The greatest was I 0 , which produced 7.926 Mgha -1 , an increase of 33.03%, with no irrigation being withheld. Following is a list of the main effects of irrigation I 1 > I 5 > I 6 > I 4 > I 3 > I 2 . It can be concluded that S 2 Nano dose at 6 mLSiL -1 might be used as an anti-stress substance otherwise regardless of the critical wheat growth stages without any further effects on the yield. Moreover, tillering is the most critical wheat growth stage, so it is not recommended to withhold irrigation, especially in this stage.