Effects of foliar applied benzyladenine on grain yield and grain protein in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

The effects of foliar applications of nitrogen and benzyladenine (BA) on grain yield and grain protein of wheat grown under field conditions were studied over 2 years with 5 cultivars at 2 locations. Nitrogen (N) at 20 kg.ha^–1, and BA at 100 or 800 mg.l^–1 were applied alone or combined at pre and post-anthesis; applications of BA at 8 mg.l^–1 were also made on individual ears in order to study the effect on cell number. Weekly determinations of the chlorophyll content of the flag leaf were conducted after anthesis to study leaf senescence. At harvest, yield, yield components and grain protein percentage were determined. N and BA applications delayed chlorophyll loss in the flag leaf, but modified neither yield nor yield components. Foliarly applied BA increased grain protein in four of the five cultivars tested. It is concluded that delay of the senescence induced by BA might allow more energy to be available for N uptake by the crop leading to an increase in grain protein.Research supported by a CAFPTA grant 1656/86 and by CONICET, PID 30017700/85.CONICETComisión de Investigaciones Cientificas de la Provincia de Buenos AiresInstituto de Fisiologia Vegetal