STOLLER ARGENTINA S.A.
Av. Malagueño s/n-Complejo Industrial U. CO. MA. Ferreyra, C.P. X5020CST, Córdoba, Argentina.

 

Effect of foliar fertilization on a wheat crop cultivated under rainfed conditions.

W. Londero and L.E. Torres and R.H. Maich (Cátedra de Genética, Facultad de Ciencias Agriopecuarias­Universidad Nacional de Córdoba).

Stoller Argentina Co., with the technical support of professionals from the College of Agriculture (Córdoba National University), led an experiment to evaluate the effect of three different formulations of foliar fertilizers on the agronomic behavior of a wheat crop cultivated under rainfed conditions.

A production field located at 31^o^29' S, 64^o^00' W was planted with the commercial cultivar PROINTA-Puntal (220 seeds/m^2^). An area of 1,200 m^2^ was used and subdivided into 12 plots of 100 m^2^ each. The plots received four different treatments, applied at tillering and boot developmental stages (Table 1). A complete randomized-block design with three replications was used.

Table 1. Plot, treatment, and application time for material in the experimental plots.
 Plot  Treatment  Application time
 T0  Control  
 T1  Stimulate (auxins, gyberellins, cytokinins) + Starter (Zn, Cu, Mn, B, S)  start of tillering
 T2  Starter (Zn, Cu, Mn, B, S)  start of tillering
 Boro  spike in boot
 T3  Mastermins (N, P, K, Mg, S, Zn, Mn, B, Mo)  start of tillering
 Mastermins (N, P, K, Mg, S, Zn, Mn, B, Mo)  spike in boot

At harvest, four samples of each 1 m^2^/plot were taken and tiller and spike number/m2, grain yield (g/m^2^), aerial biomass (g/m^2^), harvest index (%), grain number/m^2^, and 1,000-kernel weight were recorded. From a sample of 20 spikes, plant height (cm), peduncle length (cm), spike length (cm), spikelet number/spike, total weight/spike, grain weight/spike, grain number/spike, and grain number/spikelet were measured. Because of damage caused by a hailstorm, the results were analyzed from a descriptive point of view.

At the plot level, the T3 mean values for grain yield and its two principal physiological components (aerial biomass and harvest index) were superior than those for the other treatments (included the control). This positive trend also was observed in some physical grain-yield components such as grain number/spike and grain number/spikelet, and grain number/m^2^; whereas for 1,000-kernel weight, the T3 mean value did not exceed that of the control (Table 2).

Table 2. Values of measured componets for each of the treatment regimes.
   Variable    Treatment
 T0  T1  T2  T3
 Grain yield (g/m^2^)  207.08  201.67  195.75  213.83
 Aerial biomass (g/m^2^)  1,012.19  981.14  962.23  1,014.54
 Harvest index (%)  20.50  20.59  20.49  21.19
 Grains/spike  23  22  22  24
 Grains/spikelet  1.44  1.36  1.42  1.52
 Grains/m^2^  5,902  5,789  5,828  6,181
 1,000-kernel weight (g)  35.12  34.78  33.68  34.58

Conclusions. In the future, we plan to study foliar fertilization applied to several bread wheat varieties cultivated in at least two different locations.