Impact of Sulfur, Nitrogen Application Methods and Biofertilization on Productivity and Quality of Wheat Crop

INTRODUCTION

Wheat (Triticumaestivum, L.) is one of the most important crops used in human food and animal feed in Egypt. Recently a great attention of several investigations has been directed to increase the productivity of wheat to minimize the gap between the Egyptian production and consumption by increasing the cultivated area and wheat yield per unit area. Therefore, the local production of wheat grain (about 9.4 million tons) covers only 60% of the local consumption demand which reflect the need to import about 40% of wheat grains from abroad (FAO, 2013).

The role of sulphur and the importance of sulfur fertilization in the production of the major cereal crops, wheat and corn and in the high sulphur demanding oil crops have been examining work wide. Sulfur deficiency causes decreased N utilization and yield loss and decreased the baking value of the flour of cereal crops (Mars et al., 2006).

Nitrogen is important for plant growth however, plants have limited ability to extract them from the environment and these need microbes involved in "nutrient recycling" to help a plant uptake and absorb this nutrient of optimal concentration (Zakiet al., 2012).Foliar fertilization in a widely used practice to correct nutritional deficiencies in plant caused by improper supply of nutrient to roots (Ling and Silberbush, 2002).Increases were recorded in spike length, number of spikes/m2, number of grains/spike,1000- grain weight, grain and biological yields (ton)/fed with soil application (Gomaaet al., 2015).

Bio-fertilizers play vital role for increasing the number of microorganisms and accelerate certain microbial process in the rizosphere of inoculation soil plant which can change the available forms of nutrients into plants (Radwanet al., 2015).Arbuscularmycorrhizal (AM) fungi, forming symbiotic association with most economically important crop plant, can improve plant growth under low fertility condition and have affected a considered research to their agricultural potential use (Gomaaet al., 2011 and Radwanet al., 2014).

The aim of this investigation was designed to study the effect of sulfur, nitrogen application methods and biofertilization (A-mycorrhizal + Cerealin) on growth, productivity and quality of wheat crop.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two field experiments were conducted at the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha), Alexandria University, Egypt, during 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons. The experiments were carried out to study the combined effect of sulfur, nitrogen application methods and biofertilization (A-mycorrhizal + Cerealin) on growth, productivity and quality of Gemmeiza 9 wheat cultivar (Triticumaestivum, L.).

The experimental design was split–split plot design with three replications. Sulfur levels were allocated in the main plot methods of nitrogen fertilizer application were allocated in the sub-plots and biofertilizer treatments were allocated in the sub-sub- plots. The size of each plot was 10.5 m2 (1/400 feddan) 3.5 m long and 3.0 m wide. Each experiment included 27 treatments which were the combination among three sulfur levels, three methods of nitrogen application and three biofertilizer treatments. The experimental treatments can be described as follows:

Sulfur levels

Untreated

200 kg Sulphur /fed

400 kg Sulphur/fed

Nitrogen application methods

Soil application

Foliar spraying

Mixture (Soil + foliar)

Biofertilizers

Uninoculation

A- Mycorrhizalbiofertilizer

Cerealinebiofertilizer

Nitrogen fertilizer was added at a rate of 100 kg N/fed (the recommended dose, for soil N application half dose of N was applied at sowing time while the remaining in three split dose. In case of soil were foliar application of 100 kg N/fed at two different stage i.e. half at sowing and half at second irrigation to the soil and foliar as well as mixture (Soil + Foliar) were used. In the two experiments N fertilizer added in the form of ammonium nitrate (33.5% N) super phosphate fertilizer (15.5% P₂O₅) was applied before sowing at the rate of 150 kg/fed (the recommended dose). Potassium fertilizer was applied before sowing (during seed bed preparation at rate of 50 kg/fed in the form of potassium sulfate (48% K₂O) (The recommended dose).

The inoculation with Cerealine was performed by coating wheat grains with each product individually using a sticking substance (Arabic gum at 5%) just before planting inoculation of A- mycorrhizal fungi an inoculates for wheat grains with fungi (Glomusmacrarpium) strain from plant production Dept. (Saba Basha), Alex. Univ. at a rate of 250 ml of infected roots and was mixed with grains. The biofertilizers (Cerealine) which was produced by the General Organization for Agric. Equalization Ministry of Agriculture. Analyses of chemical and physical properties of the experimental soil (0- 30 cm) are shown in Table (1). The determination of soil physical and chemical analysis was carried out according to the methods reported by (Page et al., 1982).

Table (1).Some physical and chemical properties of the experimental soil during 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons

At harvest one square meter was taken randomly from each sub- sub plot for the last two replication to determine yield and its components.

A- Yield and its components

Spike length (cm)

Number of spikes/m²

Weight of spikes/m² (g)

Number of spikelets/spike

1000- grain weight (g)

Grain yield (ton)/ha

Straw yield (ton)/ha

Biological yield (ton)/ha

B- Grain quality

Powder of grains taken at harvest was wet- digested with H₂SO₄- H₂O₂ digest (Lowther 1980) and the following determinations were carried in the digested solution.

1-Total nitrogen content (%): the Micro- Kjeldahl method was used to determine    the total nitrogen in the grain.

2-Phosphorus content percentage: Was determined by using the methods described by John (1970).

3-Potassium content percentage: Was determined photometrically by using a Flam Photometer Model corning as described by Johnson and Ulrich (1959).

4-Grain protein percentage: The total nitrogen in the grain multiplied by 5.75 to obtain percentage of crude protein according to A. O. A. C. (1980).

Data obtained were exposed to the proper method of statistical analysis of variance as described by Gomez and Gomez (1984). The treatments means were compared using the least significant differences (L.S.D.) test at 0.05% level of probability.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

A- Yield and its components:

Data presented in Tables (2 and 3) showed that spike length, number of spike/m², weight of spikes (g/m²) number of spikelets/spike, 1000- grain weight (g), grain, straw and biological yields (ton/fed) during the two growing seasons were significantly affected by adding sulfur fertilizer levels. Application sulfur at 400 kg/fed caused a significant increase in yield and its components as compared with the other treatments. The S content in plant increases and the plant will accumulate more nutrients in reach the balance between cations and anions.  Therefore, push the plant to give the best dry matter and length of roots which offer the plant to absorb more nutrients and assimilate the bio chemical processes by plant. Similar results were reported by Nassaret al. (2014), Zakaria (2004), Mars et al. (2006) and Mahmoud (2008).

Yield and yield components of wheat plant as affected by nitrogen fertilizer application methods described that nitrogen fertilizer application had significantly affected the yield and its components Tables (2 and 3). Data showed that the highest all yield and its components i.e. spike length, number of spike/m², weight of spikes/m², number of spikelets/spike, 1000- grain weight (g), grain, straw and biological yields (ton/fed), were observed in mixture nitrogen application (soil + foliar)   It could be due to mixture application (soil + folair) of nitrogen at yield and its components of improving the ability of grain for best vigor, viability and among source – sink relationship to minimize application of N resulted the best grain yield of wheat (Saeedet al., 2012). Similar results, more or less were obtained by El- Shaarawy (2003), Saleh (2003), Hussein (2005), Bakhatet al (2010) and Gomaaet al (2015).

Inoculation of biofertilizers significantly increased, spike length, number of spike/m², weight of spikes (g/m²), number of spikelets/spike, 1000- grain weight, grain, straw and biological yields (ton/fed) in both seasons. Hence, the highest yield and its components were recorded with inoculation A- mycorrhiazl as compared to other treatments. It could be concluded that inoculation of wheat grain with biofertilizers encourages the increase of yield and its components. This may be due to the effect of biofertilization which plays an important role in the assimilation of wheat plants that reflected on enhancing this characteristic. Also, this could be attributed to the role of plant phytohormones like IAA, GAs and CKs which promote plant growth cell division, breaking the special dominances, hence encouraging the photosynthesis and assimilates accumulation (Abdel- Allaet al., 2007). Many investigators reported the positive effect of biofertilization on these characters, Basha (2004), Ibrahim et al. (2004), El-Esh (2007), Zakiet al. (2007), Gomaaet al. (2011) and Radwanet al. (2015).

The effect of the interaction between sulfur levels and nitrogen application methods on spike length, number of spike/m², weight of spikes g/m² , number of spikelets/spike, 1000-grain weight (g) , grain, straw and biological yields (ton/fed) were significant (Tables 2 and 3) in both growing seasons. Applying sulfur at 400 kg/fed with application nitrogen mixture (soil + foliar) gave the highest values of yield and its components in the first and the second seasons.

The effect of interaction between sulfur levels and biofertilizers was significant for yield and its components Tables (2 and 3). However, the highest values of yield and its components were obtained by applying sulfur at 400 kg/fed with A- mycorrhizal inoculation in both seasons.

The effect of interaction between nitrogen application methods and biofertilizer was significant for all yield and its components in both seasons.

Second order interaction among three factors was significant for all yield and its components in the two growing seasons Tables (2 and 3). Applying sulfur at 400 kg/fed and nitrogen application mixture (soil + foliar) with A-mycorrhizal inoculation gave the highest values of   yield and its components of wheat plant.

B- Grain quality     

The obtained results recorded in Table (4) revealed that crude protein in grains and percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium were significantly affected by adding sulfur levels.

The highest values of crude protein and all chemical composition characters were obtained by applying sulfur at 400 kg/fed while, the lowest one were recorded by untreated treatment in both seasons. The positive impacts of sulfur levels on wheat crop production and its elemental composition are mainly due to improving the soil physical, chemical and biological properties and preparing the suitable bed of germination and development of plant growth, that effect on the resultant yield (Nassaret al., 2014). These results are in agreement with Azersohaiet al. (2000), Mahmoud (2008) and Muftah (2011).

Data showed in Table (4) revealed that crude protein percentage N, P and K content in grain were affected significantly by nitrogen application methods in both seasons. The highest mean value of crude protein percentage and all chemical composition were obtained by soil application than foliar spraying in both seasons. The present results are in line with those obtained by Hassanein (2001), Arifet al. (2006), Khan et al. (2006) and Zeidanet al. (2010).

The highest value of crude protein (%) and all chemical composition i.e. N, P and K content in grain with mixture of nitrogen application methods (soil + foliar) fertilizer, while the lowest one was recorded by foliar spraying in both seasons, Table (4). This may be attributed mainly to the vital physiological roles in plant cell which root up take of plant nutrition (Arifet al., 2006).

Table (2).Wheat yield and its components as affected by sulfur levels, nitrogen application methods and biofertilization during 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons

Mean followed by the same letter (s) in each column are not significantly differed at 0.05 level  ofprobability

Table (3).Cont.

Mean followed by the same letter (s) in each column are not significantly differed at 0.05 levels of probaility

Data in Table (4) indicated that crude protein and percentages of nitrogen, phosphours potassium increased significantly by inoculation of wheat grain with biofertilizer during the two seasons. The maximum increment was obtained by A-Mycorrhizal followed by cerealine. The increment percentages attained were 12.64- 15.56% and 11.24- 12.50 for crude protein, 2.00- 2.19 and 1.81- 2.00 for N%, 0.614- 0.683 and 0.553- 0.619 for P% and 2.20 – 2.40 and 2.00- 2.23 for K in the two seasons for treatment A-mycorrhizal and cerealine compared with Uninoculation (control) treatment. This may be due to the role of dissolving phosphate and nitrogen fixation bacteria on increasing the endogenous phytohormons (IAA, GAs and CKs) which play an important role in formation a big active root system, increasing the nutrients uptake and photosynthesis rate and translocation as well as accumulation within different plarts(El- Khawas, 1990).This results are in agreement with those obtained by Hussein and Radwan (2002) Shomanet al (2006) Zakiet al. (2007), Abo-Marzoka (2009) Gomaaet al. (2011) and Radwanet al. (2015).

Data in Table (4) clear that the applying sulfur at 400 kg/fed with application of mixture nitrogen (soil + foliar) gave the highest values of crude protein and all chemical composition as illustrated in Table (4). That the effective treatment of crude protein and all chemical composition in two seasons were obtained from applying sulfur at 400 kg/fed with A- mycorrhizal inoculation in both seasons.

Data in Table (4) showed that the effect of interaction between nitrogen application methods with biofertilization on crude protein and all chemical compositions in both seasons. It is clear from data in Table  (4) that there is a high significant increase for all treatments compared with the non- inoculation with foliar spraying in the interaction effect on all studied chemical composition.

The highest values of crude protein and all chemical compositions were recorded by using the sulfur application at 400 kg/fed and mixture nitrogen   (soil + foliar) with A- mycorrhizal inoculation in both seasons.