Issue 1 (185)/2021

ALSE and ACS Style
Khoshkharam, M.; Shahrajabian, M.H. Managing yield and yield attributes of triticale in a deficit irrigation system with methanol foliar application. Journal of Applied Life Sciences and Environment 2021, 54(1), 100-110.
https://doi.org/10.46909/journalalse-2021-010 

AMA Style
Khoshkharam M, Shahrajabian MH. Managing yield and yield attributes of triticale in a deficit irrigation system with methanol foliar application. Journal of Applied Life Sciences and Environment. 2021; 54(1): 100-110.
https://doi.org/10.46909/journalalse-2021-010 

Chicago/Turabian Style
Khoshkharam, Mehdi, and Mohamad Hesam Shahrajabian. 2021. “Managing yield and yield attributes of triticale in a deficit irrigation system with methanol foliar application” Journal of Applied Life Sciences and Environment 54, no. 1: 100-110.
https://doi.org/10.46909/journalalse-2021-010 

Managing Yield and Yield Attributes of Triticale in a Deficit Irrigation System with Methanol Foliar Application

Mehdi KHOSHKHARAM^1,*, Mohamad Hesam SHAHRAJABIAN^1,2

¹Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
²Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China

*E-mail: mehdi.khoshkharam@gmail.com 

Received: Mar. 17, 2021. Revised: Apr., 27, 2021. Accepted: May 21, 2021. Published online: May 25, 2021

ABSTRACT. Triticale is mainly grown for feed grain and biomass production for thatching straw and general human use. A combined analysis with a factorial layout in the two years of 2016 and 2017 with five replications was used to evaluate the yield and yield components of triticale under different methanol concentrations and irrigation managements in Isfahan, Iran. Irrigation treatments consisted of irrigation on the basis of 70%, 80%, 90% and 100% crop water requirements, and methanol treatments as foliar application on the basis of 15% methanol concentration, 30% methanol concentration and control treatment (0%). Methanol application influence on one hundred grain weight was significant. The maximum plant height, number of tillers, Leaf area index (LAI), leaf area duration (LAD), one hundred grain weight, grain yield, biological yield, harvest index and protein content were achieved in irrigation on the basis of 100% crop water requirement. The maximum plant height, number of tillers, LAI, LAD, one hundred grain weight, grain yield, biological yield, harvest index and protein were obtained in 2017. Foliar methanol application with 15% concentration obtained the maximum plant height, LAI, LAD, one hundred grain weight, biological yield, soil plant analytical development (SPAD) and protein percentage. The results of this experiment suggest that methanol can aid in alleviating the effects of drought stress on triticale in the climatic condition of Isfahan. It is concluded that triticale cultivars performed better in 2017, with 15% concentration of methanol application and irrigation on the basis of 100% crop water requirement.

Keywords: drought; agronomic traits; grain yield; LAI; LAD; SPAD.

INTRODUCTION

Triticale is a man-made crop developed by crossing wheat (Triticum turgidum or Triticum aestivum) with rye (Secale cereale). Compared with wheat, triticale has superior characteristics, such as higher protein content (Kamyab et al., 2009), less requirement for nitrogen fertilization and more tolerance to salinity and drought stresses (Moharrery et al., 2015; Giunta et al., 2017). Heidari et al. (2016) reported that triticale seems to be an alternative to other small grain cereals, particularly wheat and barley for cultivation under unfavourable conditions or in low-input agricultural systems. It has been reported that under drought stress conditions and problematic soil regions, triticale showed distinct yield superiority and had adaptive advantages over wheat (Lelley 2006; McKenzie et al., 2014; Roques et al., 2016). Agronomic traits such as grain yield and its components are the major selection criteria for evaluating drought tolerance under field conditions (Shahrajabian et al., 2020). The closely linked yield components of LAI, leaf area duration (LAD) and SPAD (Chlorophyll index) with high grain yield have been reported for some crops, such as spring barley (Janušauskaitė and Auskalniene, 2014) and spring triticale (Janušauskaitė et al., 2017). Many scholars have reported that SPAD measurements can be used as a single and rapid tool to detect and select stable and high yielding plants (Nakano et al., 2010; Janušauskaitė et al., 2017).

Methanol spray is a method that increases CO₂ fixation in plants and methanol may act as a carbon source for plants. Methanol is the simplest alcohol and can be produced through anaerobic metabolism by some bacteria. Furthermore, methanol is emitted from leaves of C₃ plants (Fall and Benson, 1996). In one study, plant biomass and SPAD chlorophyll content were increased by foliar spraying of soybean plant with 15% (v/v) methanol. The decline in intercellular CO₂ is a key factor limiting photosynthesis under drought stress conditions, and plant productivity may be promoted by increasing the availability of CO₂ in leaves through applying a carbon source. Consequently, foliar methanol application in arid and semi-arid regions may be useful in increasing productivity and plant growth. Foliar application of methanol under drought stress conditions at flowering stage may increase the growth and yield of safflower, whereas under fully watered conditions the application of lower doses of methanol may be more effective in yield improvement than use of higher dose. Passioura (1996) stated that foliar sprays of aqueous 1-50% methanol increased growth and development of C₃ crop plants in an arid environment. Most triticale cultivars have a high grain yield, but perform poorly with regard to biomass yield (Pronyk and Mazza, 2011). The application of water below the full crop water requirements is known as deficit irrigation, and it is one of the options for maintaining productivity (Farooq et al., 2009; Shahrajabian et al., 2020). Supplemental and managed irrigation, even in semi-arid and arid climates, is one of the crucial means, which guarantee stable and reliable yields. In the centre of Iran, because of limited rainfall, water shortage and stress, major loss in crop productivity occurs.

The aim of this study was to see how methanol application and irrigation management affected triticale yield and yield components in Iran’s semi-arid region.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two-year experiments were conducted at the agricultural research farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Isfahan, Iran (Longitude 51°40′ E, latitude 32°39′ N, and elevation 1570 m) in order to investigate the influence of different methanol concentrations and irrigation, a combined analysis with a factorial layout in the two years of 2016 and 2017 with five replications was conducted. Irrigation treatments consisted of irrigation on the basis of 70%, 80%, 90% and 100% crop water requirements, and methanol foliar treatments were 15%, 30% methanol concentration (v/v) and control treatment (0%). On the basis of soil analysis, the organic carbon was 1.2% and 1.0% at depth of 0-30 cm and 30-60 cm, respectively; moreover, at both depths soil texture was clay (Table 1). Mean temperature changes from 22nd October to 23rd October at the Isfahan experimental field in 2016 is shown in Table 2. Moldboard ploughing was used to prepare the soil, which was then disked and smoothed with a land leveller. Autumn triticale (ET-84-8) was sown at a density of 400 viable seeds per m² by trained workers on Oct 23rd. On the basis of soil analysis, nitrogen fertilizer was used from urea source (80 kg N ha^-1). Half of the nitrogen was added to the soil during the pre-sowing cultivation process and the remaining nitrogen fertilizer was applied at the tillering stage of the triticale. Each plot (10 m^-2) had six rows with a 17.5 cm spacing between them. The crop was harvested at the stage of full maturity, and grain yield was measured and adjusted at 14% moisture. Weed control, diseases and pest management were carried out in accordance with the crop development as required. At the tillering stage, foliar therapies were applied. A foliar application was not applied to the control plots. Chlorophyll index (SPAD, soil plant analysis development) was measured by using a chlorophyll meter (Minolta SPAD 502). A portable meter was used to take measurements from the middle of the leaf blade just before harvesting. Before harvest, the primary shoot height was measured with a ruler. Plants were harvested at physiological maturity, oven-dried at 72^oC, and after that yield and yield components including grain yield and one hundred grain weight (g) were determined. Leaf area was measured by leaf area meter (Delta T Device, UK). LAD was measured using the following formula (Janušauskaitė et al., 2017):

where, L1 and L2 are the first and second measurements of green leaf area, and T1 and T2 represent the time of the first and second measurements. The separated grain weight and harvest index (HI) (%) were calculated according to the following formula:

Kjeldahl analysis was used to determine the amount of nitrogen in dry and ground samples (Bremner and Breitenbeck, 1984), and then nitrogen was multiplied by 6.26 to determine protein content. After collection of data related to the measured properties, variance analysis was done by SAS statistical software.

RESULTS

The influence of year was not significant on any experimental characteristics except for LAD. Irrigation treatment has significant effects on plant height, number of tillers, LAI, LAD, one hundred grain weight, grain yield, biological yield, harvest index and protein, but SPAD was not significantly affected by irrigation treatment. Among all experimental characteristics, just one hundred grain weight was influenced by methanol concentration, while no significant influence of methanol concentrations on other experimental characteristics was found. The analysis of variance showed that the effect of interactions between irrigation × year, and also irrigation × methanol on LAD and grain yield was statistically significant. Aside from LAD and one hundred grain weight, no experimental characteristics were influenced by interaction between methanol and year (Table 3). The maximum value for plant height, number of tillers and LAI related to 2017, followed by 2016. Moreover, no significant differences were found between treatments. The maximum and minimum LAD were achieved in 2017 and 2016, respectively; a significant difference was found between 2016 and 2017. In 2017, the highest grain yield (517.36 g/m^-2), biological yield (1813.39 g/m^-2) and harvest index (0.29) were obtained. No meaningful differences were found between 2016 and 2017. On the one side, the highest value for SPAD was obtained for 2016 (46.03), and for protein in 2017 (13.53%); on the other side, no significant differences were found between treatments (Table 4). The maximum plant height, number of tillers and LAI were obtained for irrigation on the basis of 100% of crop water requirement, followed by irrigation on the basis of 90% of crop water requirement. Irrigation on the basis of 100% of crop water requirement had no significant differences from irrigation on the basis of 90% of crop water requirement.

The maximum number of LAD, one hundred grain weight (6.03 g), grain yield, biological yield and harvest index (0.31%) were related to irrigation on the basis of 100% of crop water requirement. Although, the highest number of harvest index was achieved in irrigation on the basis of 100% of crop water requirement, followed by 90%, 80% and 70%, but no significant differences were found between treatments. The maximum value for SPAD was related to irrigation on the basis of 90% of crop water requirement (46.58). Moreover, it only had a significant difference with irrigation on the basis of 70% of crop water requirement. The protein percentage of triticale differed between various irrigation treatments.

The maximum and minimum protein percentages were related to irrigation on the basis of 100% of crop water requirement (14.59%) and irrigation on the basis of 70% of crop water requirement (10.63%), which had no significant differences with each other (Table 5).

DISCUSSION

Water stress is the major limiting factor in crop production in the world. Yield is the principle selection index used under drought stress conditions. Like the results of this experiment, the influence of the weather conditions in different years on grain yield has been confirmed by studies on other cereals (Gonzalez et al., 2010). The maximum values of plant height, number of tillers, LAI, LAD, one hundred grain weight, grain yield, biological yield, harvest index and protein content were achieved in irrigation on the basis of 100% crop water requirement. The result of this research is in agreement with Nakano et al. (2010). Reduction in plant height under drought stress was reported by Guttieri et al. (2001) and Denčić et al. (2000). Leaf extension can be limited under water stress conditions in order to get a balance between the water status of plant tissues and the water absorbed by plant roots (Passioura, 1996). Reduced plant height as the result of water deficit is a general response of plants to reduced water availability. Gonzales et al. (2010) also reported that water deficit and drought stress may delay development of plants, leading to plant height reduction. Guttieri et al. (2001) also observed that moisture deficit induced reduction in 100-grain yield of wheat due to reduction in the number of grains per spike. Plant growth occurs by cell elongation and cell division, which are very sensitive to drought stress. Cell elongation is inhibited by a reduction in turgor pressure resulting from water deficiency. Water deficit also impairs cell division. Thereby, disruption of cell elongation and division can explain the observed reduction in plant height and growth. Ahmadi and Joudi (2007) and Krcek et al. (2008) also reported that grain yield is reduced depending on the degree of water deficit. The improvement of HI leads to more efficient redistribution of dry matter into grain and in turn increases grain yield. HI can be used as an indirect selection criterion for improving grain yield in cereals under moisture stress conditions (Fayaz and Arzani 2011; Shahrajabian et al., 2011).

In agreement with the results of this experiment, Ahmed (2011) observed that the SPAD chlorophyll index was lower in their experiments under water deficit stress. The highest plant height, number of tillers, LAI, LAD, one hundred grain weight, grain yield, biological yield, harvest index and protein was obtained in 2017. Foliar methanol application with 15% concentration had obtained the highest plant height, LAI, LAD, one hundred grain weight, biological yield, SPAD and protein percentage. Leaf area index (LAI) is a good indicator of crop state and is closely linked to other crop and soil variables, such as biomass, grain yield, nutrition status and crop nitrogen uptake (Janušauskaitė et al., 2017). Significant reaction of safflower to methanol concentration in limited irrigation management indicated that the deleterious effects of drought stress can be alleviated by methanol application, to increase CO₂ concentration.

Nakano et al. (2010) ascertained that grain yield of wheat was significantly and positively correlated with the LAI and SPAD. In this experiment, triticale positively responded to methanol concentration in limited irrigation management. As a consequence, treating triticale with methanol can promote net photosynthesis leading to improved yield. Ling et al. (2011) mentioned that leaf chlorophyll content is an important indicator of physiological status in plants, and the variation in leaf chlorophyll content is considered to be a plant response to environmental stress. Furthermore, Rowe et al. (1994) reported that foliar spraying of methanol increased growth and yield of various C₃ plants. The yield increase caused by the applied measures can be explained by a better management of the irrigation of the plants, which found an important result in enhanced tillering, grain yield and one hundred grain weight. Gowda et al. (2011) also have recently reported that grain yield, plant height, spikes per square metre and thousand-kernel weight are key variables that allowed the prediction of early biomass yield. The results of this experiment suggest that methanol can aid in alleviating the effects of drought stress on triticale in the climatic condition of Isfahan. It is concluded that triticale cultivars performed better in 2017, with 15% concentration of methanol application and irrigation on the basis of 100% crop water requirement.

CONCLUSION

Water stress is the major limiting factor in crop production in the world. Yield is the principle selection index used under drought stress conditions. The highest values of plant height, number of tillers, LAI, LAD, one hundred grain weight, grain yield, biological yield, harvest index and protein content were achieved in irrigation on the basis of 100% crop water requirement. Plant growth occurs by cell elongation and cell division, which are very sensitive to drought stress. Cell elongation is inhibited by a reduction in turgor pressure resulting from water deficiency. Water deficit also impairs cell division. Thereby, disruption of cell elongation and division can explain the observed reduction in plant height and growth. The highest plant height, number of tillers, LAI, LAD, one hundred grain weight, grain yield, biological yield, harvest index and protein was obtained in 2017. Foliar methanol application with 15% concentration obtained the highest plant height, LAI, LAD, one hundred grain weight, biological yield, SPAD and protein percentage. Significant reaction of triticale to methanol concentration in limited irrigation management indicated that the deleterious effects of drought stress can be alleviated by methanol application, to increase CO₂ concentration. The yield increase caused by the applied measures can be explained by a better management of irrigation of the plants, which found an important result in enhanced tillering, grain yield and one hundred grain weight.

The results of this experiment suggest that methanol can aid in alleviating the effects of drought stress on triticale in the climatic condition of Isfahan. It is concluded that triticale cultivars performed better in 2017, with 15% concentration of methanol application and irrigation on the basis of 100% crop water requirement.

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