Author(s)

Muhammad Mubeen, Ashfaq Ahmad, Tasneem Khaliq, Syeda Refat Sultana, Shahid Hussain, Amjed Ali, Hakoomat Ali, Wajid Nasim

Agro-Climatology Laboratory, Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Agro-Climatology Laboratory, Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan;.
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Vehari, Pakistan..
University College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.

Climate and weather conditions greatly affect the performance of new wheat cultivars for yield and resource use efficiency. In order to know the effect of irrigation schedules based on growth stage (the most vital criterion in the region) on growth, yield and radiation use efficiency of wheat cultivars in Faisalabad conditions, a study was planned at Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad during 2009-2010. Split plot design with irrigation levels in main plots and cultivars in sub-plots was implied. Irrigation levels were: IT = irrigation at tillering stage, ITS = irrigation at tillering and stem elongation stage, ISB = irrigation at stem elongation and booting stage and ITSBG = irrigation at tillering, stem elongation, booting and grain filling stage. Cultivars selected were: Faisalabad-2008, Lasani-2008, Miraj-2008, Shafaq-2006 and Chakwal-97. Irrigation treatment ITSBG gave higher grain yield (4.23 t·ha^-1) followed by ISB (3.60 t·ha^-1), however ITSBG was statistically similar to ISB in radiation use efficiency (RUE) for grain yield (RUE_GY). Similarly the two treatments were statistically at par in maximum leaf area index, total dry matter (TDM) accumulation, cumulative photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and RUE_TDM. Hence where less numbers of irrigations are available, irrigation at stem elongation and booting stage is suitable for achieving economic yield. Lasani-2008 produced maximum grain yield (4.37 t·ha^-1) compared to other cultivars but it was statistically at par with Shafaq-2006 in plant height, TDM production and RUE_TDM. Depending on the availability, the two cultivars may be chosen under irrigated conditions of Faisalabad.

Triticum aestivum L.; Irrigation; Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR); Radiation Use Efficiency (RUE); Total Dry Matter (TDM)

M. Mubeen, A. Ahmad, T. Khaliq, S. Sultana, S. Hussain, A. Ali, H. Ali and W. Nasim, "Effect of Growth Stage-Based Irrigation Schedules on Biomass Accumulation and Resource Use Efficiency of Wheat Cultivars," American Journal of Plant Sciences, Vol. 4 No. 7, 2013, pp. 1435-1442. doi: 10.4236/ajps.2013.47175.