Comparative studies on some yield contributing traits of wheat sown in binary mixtures

Abstract

Cultivar mixtures have been suggested as ways to increase crop productivity. This field study was conducted to investigate the competition among five cultivated varieties of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) for the traits like plant height, flag leaf area, fertile tillers per plant, spike length, spikelets per spike, spike density, grain weight per spike, and seed index in relation to competition with yield per plant. It was observed that cultivar mixtures ought to be more productive than corresponding pure stands. Four binary combinations of Seher2006-Kohistan97, Farid2006-SH2002, SH2002-Shahkar95, and SH2002-Kohistan97 were superior in performance, showing land equivalent ratio (LER) values greater than one for plant height, fertile tillers per plant, spike density, grain weight per spike, and grain yield per plant. It was observed that the performance of binary mixtures was mainly due to the increased average performance in spike density, grain weight per spike, and grain yield per plant. The competitive ability of wheat varieties in mixtures was independent of each other for the respective traits, which lead to cumulative effects for the increased performance within the associates in mixtures.

Keywords

wheat / binary mixtures / land equivalent ratio (LER) / grain yield

References

[1] Alexander H M, Roelfs A P, Cobbs G (1986). Effects of disease and plant competition on yield in monocultures and mixtures of two wheat cultivars. Plant Pathol, 35(4): 457-465

[2] Bowden R, Shoyer J, Roozeboom K, Claasen M, Evans P, Gordon B, Heer B, Janssen K, Schlegel J, Sears R, Witt M (2001). Performance of wheat variety blends in Kansas. Kansas Station Extension Bulletin: 128

[3] Cousens R D, Weaver S E, Martin T D, Blair A M, Wilson J (1991). Dynamics of competition between wild oats (Avena fatua L.) and winter cereals. Weed Res, 31(4): 203-210

[4] Cowger C, Weisz R (2008). Winter wheat blend (mixtures) produce a yield advantage in North Carolina. J Agron, 100(1): 169-177

[5] DeWit C T, Den Bergh J P V (1965). Competition between herbage plants. Neth J Agric Sci, 13: 212-221

[6] Economic Survey of Pakistan (2009). Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock, Federal Bureau of Statistics, Economic Advisor Wing, Islamabad, Pakistan

[7] Finckh M R, Gacek E S, Goyeau H, Lannou C, Merz U, Mundt C C, Munk L, Nadziak J, Newton A C, de Vallavieille-Pope C, Wolfe M S (2000). Cereal variety and species mixtures in practice, with emphasis on disease resistance. Agronomie, 20(7): 813-837

[8] Gallandt E R, Dofing S M, Reisenauer P E, Donaldson E (2001). Diallel analysis of cultivar mixtures in winter wheat. Crop Sci, 41(3): 792-796

[9] Lee K M, Shroyer J P, Hermann T J, Lingenfelser J (2006). Blending hard white wheat to improve grain yield and end-use performances. Crop Sci, 46(3): 1124-1129

[10] Mundt C C (2002). Use of multiline cultivars and cultivar mixtures for disease management. Annual Rev Phytopathol, 40(1): 381-410

[11] Newton A C, Christine A H, Swanston J S (2008). Analysing the contribution of component cultivars and cultivar combinations to malting quality, yield and disease in complex mixtures. J Science Food Agriculture, 88(12): 2142-2152

[12] Newton A C, Swanston J S, Guy D C, Ellis R P (1998). Cereal variety mixtures reduce inputs and improve yield and quality - why isn’t everybody growing them? J Inst Brew, 104: 41-45

[13] Sobkowicz P, Tendziagolska E (2005). Competition and productivity in mixture of oats and wheat. J Agron Crop Sci, 191(5): 377-385

[14] Steel R G D, Torrie J H, Dickey D A (1997). Principles and Procedures of Statistics. A Biochemical Approach. New York: McGraw Hill Book International Co

[15] Swanston J S, Newton A C, Brosnan J M, Fotheringham A, Glasgow E (2005). Determining the spirit yield of wheat varieties and variety mixtures. J Cereal Sci, 42(1): 127-134

[16] Tratwal A, Law J, Philpott H, Horwell A, Garner J (2007). The possibilities of reduction of winter barley chemical protection by growing variety mixtures. Part II. Effect on yield. Journal of Plant Protection Research, 47(1): 87-99

[17] Treder K, Wanic M, Nowicki J (2008a). Competition between spring wheat and spring barley under conditions of diversified fertilization part I. Influence on selected morphological characteristics of plants. Acta Agrophysica, 11(3): 767-780

[18] Treder K, Wanic M, Nowicki J (2008b). Competition between spring wheat and spring barley under conditions of diversified fertilization part II. Influence on biomass of plants and rate of its accumulation. Acta Agrophysica, 11(3): 781-797

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg