THE EFFECT OF MG AND S ON PHOTOSYNTHESIS PRODUCTS AND NITROGEN CONTENT IN WINTER WHEAT

Abstract

In 2013 and 2014, field experiments involving winter wheat were conducted at Aleksandras Stulginskis University’s Experimental Station on a medium-textured Cal(ca)ri-Epihypogleyic Luvisol. N₁₅₀P₉₀K₁₂₀ were applied as the main fertilizers. Additionally, a foliar fertilizer including amide nitrogen, sulphur and magnesium (MgO concentrations ranging from 0.25 % to 2.5 %), (further referred to as magnesium fertilizer), was sprayed at the tillering and booting stages of winter wheat.
It was found that magnesium fertilizer foliar-applied at the end of tillering and booting stages tended to increase chlorophyll a and b contents in winter wheat leaves. Chlorophyll a content in leaves significantly increased when the solution with 2.5 % concentration of magnesium had been applied at tillering and when 0.5, 1.0 and 2.5 % concentrations of the solution had been applied at booting stages. Chlorophyll b content in winter wheat leaves was significantly affected by the solutions with 0.5, 1.0 and 2.5 % magnesium concentrations at tillering and by the solutions with 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 % magnesium concentrations at booting stages. The highest increase in dry matter content was recorded when 2.5 % MgO solution had been applied at booting stage.
A statistically significant correlation was established between the MgO concentrations applied at tillering (r = 0.905^*) and booting (r = 0.863^*) stages and nitrogen content in winter wheat dry matter.

 Keywords: nitrogen, magnesium, sulphur, chlorophyll

Article DOI: http://doi.org/10.15544/RD.2017.005