Mitigating terminal heat stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum) through foliar application of growth regulators: Effects on seed quality

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of foliar spray of various chemical treatments to mitigate the adverse effects of terminal heat stress on the seed quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The experiment was conducted in 2020-21 using two wheat varieties (K-9423 and K-607) and 22 foliar treatments including salicylic acid, ascorbic acid, potassium chloride, thiourea, and cycocel at different stages. Observations were recorded on 1000 seed weight, germination percentage, total seedling length, seedling dry weight, seedling vigour index-I and II. Among all treatments, salicylic acid @ 400 ppm applied at both vegetative and anthesis stages significantly improved seed quality parameters with highest values observed for variety K-607. The study concludes that salicylic acid at 400 ppm is effective in mitigating heat stress and improving seed quality in wheat.