Growth and Yield of Wheat in Response to Seed Vigor and Sowing Densities

Abstract

In wheat crops, it is often observed that the number of plants per area is lower than that of viable seeds used, which may be related to both environmental conditions and seed vigor. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of seed vigor level at different sowing densities on growth, development, and grain yield in wheat cultivars. The experiments were conducted in Londrina and Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil, under a randomized block design in a 2 × 2 × 3 factorial scheme, with four replications. Two seed vigor levels (high and low), two sowing densities (200 and 400 viable seeds per m2), and three wheat cultivars (BRS Sabiá, BRS Gaivota, and BRS Gralha Azul) were assessed. In order to assess growth and development, plant samples were collected at the phenological stages of seedling growth, stem elongation, booting, and ear emergence. We assessed the emergence of seedlings, height and dry matter of plant shoot, and grain yield. The sowing density of 200 seeds per m2 led to a higher shoot dry matter production per plant at the stages booting and ear emergence. The cultivar BRS Sabiá presented the highest grain yield in Londrina, while BRS Sabiá and BRS Gralha Azul presented the highest grain yield in Ponta Grossa. High vigor seeds favor stand establishment, growth and development of plants at early phenological stages, and grain yield of wheat.

Wheat yield and seed physiological quality affected by initial seed vigor, sowing density, and environmental conditions

“…However, this increase in emerged seedlings was not proportional to the increase in sowing density, indicating that other factors, such as vigor, sowing quality, and soil characteristics, influenced the establishment of seedlings. These results corroborate those of Abati et al (2018), who observed that the increase in sowing density promoted greater seedling emergence, with the highest seedling emergence in the highest density studied (400 seeds m -2 ) for two vigor levels, viz., vigorous and non-vigorous seeds. It may be noted that, in most cases, the population of plants established is generally below the programmed density, which is expected, because germination, vigor, and edaphoclimatic conditions directly affect the establishment of the production field; however, densities are planned to maintain high grain yield levels.…”

“…Seed vigor directly affected the establishment and development of wheat in Ponta Grossa, where vigorous seeds resulted in a higher percentage of emerged seedlings as compared with non-vigorous seeds (Table 2). Similar results were obtained by Abati et al (2018), who observed that the use of vigorous seeds resulted in a greater number of emerged seedlings when compared to non-vigorous seeds. This is due to the fact that seeds with high physiological potential have a higher germination speed, emergence, and initial seedling development in the field, even under unfavorable conditions, resulting in better stand establishment (Carvalho & Nakagawa, 2012).…”

“…On the other hand, cultivars with low tillering depend on a higher sowing density to obtain high yield, as they are less efficient in compensating for the smaller number of ears per unit area (Valério et al, 2009). In addition, the use of vigorous seeds, especially at lower sowing densities, provides greater productive potential, because the vigor favors proper establishment of the stand, avoiding failures, which results in higher production per unit area, less incidence of weeds, and better use of environmental resources (Abati, Brzezinski, Zucareli, Foloni, & Henning, 2018). Abati et al (2017) studied the influence of seed vigor and sowing density on the emergence of wheat seedlings, and found that vigorous seeds resulted in higher seedling emergence, regardless of the sowing density.…”

Effect of seed vigor and sowing densities on the yield and physiological potential of wheat seeds

“…Along with that, seeds with a high vigor level are recommended, since they have greater germination capacity and better initial development. Such seeds ensure expression of plasticity of the crop and, therefore, ensure the desired plant stand that results in higher yields (Struker et al, 2019;Abati et al, 2018;Schereen et al, 2010).…”

“…Variations in sowing density in the wheat crop modify the number of tillers and result in significant modifications in yield components (Silveira et al, 2010). In addition, sowing density leads to morphophysiological changes in the plants, which can affect their growth and development and, consequently, seed yield and quality (Abati et al, 2018;Tavares et al, 2014).…”