Seeding Rate and Seed Quality Optimization for Enhanced Agro-Physiological Responses in Wheat

Injudicious sowing rates and poor seed quality cause irregular crop stands, fragile seedlings, and low wheat yields. Growers struggle to identify quality seed or optimized seeding rate for their growth conditions, resulting in poor resource use and lower profitability. This field study was carried out during 2022-23 to examine the impact of seed size and the rate of seeding on crop vigour and produce in wheat. Three apparent seed qualities, classified as large, medium, and small sized seeds were employed along with different seed rate (100, 125, 175, and 200 kg ha-1). The trial was designed in a 3-replicated RCBD with factorial arrangements. The study showed that seed size and seeding rate had substantial impact on growing dynamics and yield attributes of wheat, as evidenced by statistical significance of the treatment effect (p <0.05). The crop sown using large seed size exhibited notable outcomes in studied traits, with 102.7 cm height of plants, 5.91 tillers per plant, a spike length of 10.64 cm, 40.00 grains per spike, a seed index of 43.31 g, a commendable biological yield (10640 kg), a remarkable grain yield (5294.30 kg ha-1) and a substantial harvest index 50.13 percent. Conversely, the medium- and small-sized seeds caused noticeable reduction in crop performance across the measured traits. Regarding the seeding rate, the wheat sown using 175 kg seed ha-1 demonstrated compelling results, with 97.13 cm height of plants, 5.82 tillers per plant, a spike length of 10.49 cm, 38.80 grains per spike, a seed index of 42.68 g, an impressive yield of biomass (10788 kg) and grain (5360.70 kg ha-1) as well as a harvest index (49.73%). When the seed rates were adjusted to 200, 125, or 100 kg, considerable decline in yield was observed compared to 175 kg ha-1 sowing rate. The investigation culminated in the identification of large-sized seed as optimal choice, yielding maximally (5294.30 kg ha-1). However, use of medium- and small-sized seeds resulted in a significant reduction in yield. Additionally, 175 kg seed rate led to maximized grain yield (5360.70 kg ha-1), whereas lowering the rates upto 125 or 100 kg led to declined crop produce. Interestingly, 200 kg seed rate boosted biological yield but caused a reduction in grain yield compared to the 175 kg seed ha-1. Consequently, it is strongly recommended that, to achieve superior qualitative and quantitative wheat production, sowing 175 kg ha-1 large-sized seed is an appropriate and favourable approach.