Contribution of Post-Anthesis Growth and Manganese Dynamics to Differential Grain Yield in Different Wheat Species

Abstract

Manganese (Mn) deficiency has become a serious nutritional problem for wheat grown in alkaline coarse textured soil. The study aimed to investigate post-anthesis Mn partitioning in different wheat species. Cultivars of bread wheat (‘PBW509’, ‘DBW17’, ‘PBW550’ and ‘PBW636’); durum wheat (‘PDW291’) and triticale (‘TL2908’) were grown in 6.5 L pots with two treatments of Mn (0 and 50 mg Mn kg⁻¹ soil) in screen house and harvested at anthesis, 18- days post-anthesis, and maturity to record Mn uptake. Durum cv. ‘PDW291’ retained highest proportion of Mn in its vegetative parts under Mn deficiency resulting into lowest partitioning to the grain and had the lowest grain yield. All bread wheat cv. facilitated superior Mn partitioning to the grain, lesser retention in vegetative organs and higher Mn utilization efficiency, than triticale and durum wheat species. Cultivars producing higher yield on Mn deficit soils are viable alternative to foliar application of Mn.

Keywords:

• manganese efficiency
• Mn dynamics
• Mn partitioning
• wheat cultivars

FUNDING

The financial assistance by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi through its Junior Research Fellowship to the first author is greatly acknowledged.