Effect of Seed Rates on the Yield and Yield Components of Five Soft Wheat Varieties (Triticum aestivum L.) Under the Sandy Soil Conditions of the Kufra Region, Libya

Abstract

The Agricultural Research Center of the Kufra Agricultural Project was able to introduce many new varieties of wheat that are appropriate to the conditions of the region, but the productivity of these varieties may be affected by several factors, the most important of which is the appropriate seed rate. A field experiment was carried out at the research station of the Kufra agricultural project located in the southeast of Libya between latitude -12 - 24 ° north and longitude- 17 - 23 ° south during the winter season 2017/2018 in order to study the effect of seed rates on the productivity, production components and growth characteristics of five varieties of wheat under the environmental conditions of the Kufra region, the split-plot design was followed in the implementation of the experiment with three replications. The varieties: [Buc,s - Tui,s - TR - Seri - V.113] were distributed on the main plots while seeding rates  (100 - 125 - 150 - 175 - 200) kg / ha in the sup plots. The following characteristics were studied: plant height (cm) - spike length (cm) - number of spikes / meter ² - number of days to mature - number of grains / spike - weight 1000 grains / gm - grain yield (tons / h), the data were analyzed statistically and the results were concluded that there are significant differences between seed rates and the varieties used and for all the studied traits, as well as the significant overlap between seed rates and varieties For both number of spikes / meter² and weight of 1000 germs / gm. The study concluded that the seed rate and the variety used are important in increasing the grain yield of wheat under the conditions of the study area, as the increase in seed rates led to an increase in the grain yield ton / h by a rate of 11.70% , It was also found that the seri variety exceeded its grain yield ton / ha over the rest of the studied varieties.