Effect of Nano-Fertilizer and Bio-Growth Regulator on Yield Attributes of Wheat

Abstract

This work aimed at examining the influence of foliar spraying with nano-nitrogen fertilizer (Nano- N- 0, 250, and 500 mg/L) and salicylic acid (SA- 0, 100, and 200 mg/L) on yield attributes of wheat. The experiments were conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) using split plot arrangement with 3-replication and conducted during the two winter seasons of 2021/2022 and 2022/2023. Results revealed that Nano-N had a remarkable influence on improving the No. of tillers/m2, No. of grain/spike, and grain, straw, and biological yield of wheat compared to control (p < 0.05), observably under high concentration (500 mg/L). The highest positive effect of SA application on yield attributes of wheat was observed at 200 mg/L. Most importantly, the interaction between Nano-N at 500mg/L and SA at 200 mg/L considerably increased the straw, grain, and biological yield (7719, 6648, and 14367 kg/ha, respectively) relative to control and/or other treatments (p < 0.05), whereas the maximal harvest index was observed for untreated plants [0 (Nano-N) x 0 mg/L (SA)]. Further, correlational analysis demonstrated that grain yield had positive/ direct interrelationship with No. of tillers/m2 (r= 0.75), No. of spikelet’s (r= 0.70), spike length (r= 0.85), and No. of grains/spike (r= 0.69), whereas the increase of plant height strongly contributed to the enhancement of biological yield by 86%. The current outcomes, accordingly, provide important information to the farmers about the optimum practical application of Nano-N and SA (at 500 x 200 mg/L) to maximize wheat production.