Accumulation and Redistribution Pattern of Dry Matter and N in Triticale and Wheat Varieties under Water Stress Condition

Accumulation of dry matter and N in a cereal plant indicates its potentiality for yield, but its mobilization to the reproductive sink is important for higher economic yield. We studied this mobilization in triticale (Triticale hexaploide Lar.)), a recently developed crop which might compete with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The objective was to screen varieties of triticale relative to wheat for their high translocation ability and N utilization efficiency. A field experiment was conducted on silt loam soil (Typic Hapludoll) during 1973–74 at Pantnagar, India. Treatments consisting of five varieties each of triticale (‘Bronco 90’, ‘Armadillo PM 112’, ‘Armadillo PM 113’, ‘Armadillo PM 114’, and ‘Armadillo PPV 13’) and wheat (‘C 306’, ‘K 65’, ‘K 68’, ‘Kalyansona’, and ‘Sonalika’) were arranged in a randomized block design with five replications. Plant samples were collected from a 0.125-m² area for dry matter and N content studies in culm, lower leaf, flag leaf, spike chaff, and grain at successive stages. The loss of dry matter from different plant parts was assumed to be translocated to the grains. Both triticale and wheat cultivars differed greatly in their capacity to accumulate and redistribute dry matter and N. Bronco 90 and Armadillo PM 112 triticale cultivars, and C 306 and K 65 wheat cultivars, accumulated greater amounts of dry matter and N than the other varieties. The dry matter losses, presumably because of translocation to kernels, varied from 12.9% (Armadillo PM 113) to 36.9% (Armadillo PM 112) in triticale, and from 19.2% (C 306) to 31.6% (K 68) in wheat. In translocation of N to grain, Bronco 90 (58.4%) and Kalyansona (61%) were the most efficient cultivars of triticale and wheat, respectively. Such cultivars should be selected for further improvement in yield. Armadillo PM 112 and C 306, the top yielding cultivars in respect of grain, removed the largest quantities of N (75.7 and 593 kg N/ha). On an average, triticale cultivars removed larger amounts of N than the wheat. Selecting varieties that are more efficient in use of N would help in economizing N fertilizer, which is urgent in today's crop production.