| Wheat Information Service Number 70: 11 - 14(1990) Root distribution and top growth of a wheat mutant and its mother cultivar under irrigated and rainfed conditions S. Bharti, I. S. Sheoran, R. K. Behl and M. S. Kuhad Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125004, India Introduction Wheat is mostly grown in semiarid climatic conditions where moisture is usually the limiting factor. The ability of a plant to capitalize on available moisture for sustained top growth largely depends upon its root system. Although moisture is available in upper soil profile during vegetative growth period, however, in semiarid climate often all the moisture is used by grain filling time (Asana 1974) and it is the root system the lower stratum that facilitates grain filling (Behl et al 1986). Understanding of genotypic plasticity of root system in terms of vertical and lateral distribution as a mechanism of adaptation in rainfed environments alongwith top growth pattern will help wheat breeders in developing productive genotypes for target environments. Present study deals with root distribution and top growth pattern of a developmental mutant of spring wheat and its mother cultivar under irrigated and rainfed conditions. Materials and Methods High yielding spring wheat cultivar WH147, its radiation induced high temperature tolerant mutant (WH147M) and a standard check variety C306 were grown under irrigated and rainfed sandy loam field conditions at Haryana Agriculture University farm. This experiment was laid out in randomized block design with four replications, the plot size being 6 rows of 4 m length spaced 25 cm apart. Observations on root distribution (using a modified trench profile method by Bohm 1976), number of tillers per plant, number of spikes per m2, spike length (cm) and grain yield (g/m2) were recorded. Also, observations on number of leaves per plant, total leaf area per plant (cm2) and dry hight of leaves per plant were recorded on WH147 and WH147M only in a separate experiment under irrigated conditions. The date were subjected to analysis of variance. |
| --> Next |