Efficacy of calcium chloride and arginine foliar spray in alleviating terminal heat stress in late-sown wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). (23rd August 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Roy Chowdhury, A.; Ghosh, M.; Lal, M.; Pal, A.; Hazra, K. K.; Acharya, S. S.; Chaurasiya, A.; Pathak, S. K.
• Is Part Of: Journal of agricultural science. Volume 157:Number 6(2019)
• Page Start: 537
• Page End: 549
• Publication Date: 2019-08-23
• Subjects: Arginine, -- calcium chloride, -- chlorophyll degradation, -- grain yield, -- late-sown wheat, -- relative membrane permeability, -- terminal heat stress; Agriculture -- Periodicals; 630.5
• DOI: 10.1017/S002185961900087X
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-8596

Abstract

Abstract: Terminal heat stress leads to sizeable yield loss in late-sown wheat in tropical environments. Several synthetic compounds are known to counteract plant stress emanating from abiotic factors. A field experiment was conducted in Sabour (eastern India) during 2013–2016 to investigate the field efficacy of two synthetic compounds, calcium chloride (CaCl2 ) and arginine, for improving grain yield of two contrasting wheat cultivars (DBW 14 and K 307) facing terminal heat stress. For this, foliar spray of 18.0 mM CaCl2 at booting (CCB ) or anthesis (CCA ), 9.0 mM CaCl2 at both booting and anthesis (CCB+A ), 2.5 mM arginine at booting (ARGB ) or anthesis (ARGA ) and 1.25 mM arginine at both booting and anthesis (ARGB+A ) treatments along with no-spray and water-spray treatments were evaluated in late-sown wheat. The highest grain yield was recorded in treatment CCB+A, followed by CCA and ARGB+A . However, the effect of these compounds was marginal on grain yield when applied only at the booting stage. Grains/ear and thousand-grain weight were found to be the critical determinants for yield in late-sown wheat. During the anthesis to grain filling period, flag-leaf chlorophyll degradation and increase in relative permeability in no-spray treatment were 34–36% and 29–52%, respectively, but these values were reduced considerably in CCB+A treatment followed CCA . Thus, foliar spray of 9.0 mM CaCl2 both at booting and anthesis stages may be recommended for alleviating the negative impacts of terminal heat stress in late-sown wheat and improving its productivity (>13%).