Effects of Daylength and Time of Application of Phosphorus on Growth and Grain Yield of Wheat

Three varieties of wheat. Thatcher, Falcon and Sunset. were grown under 20. 12 or 8 hour days until the initiation of spikelet primordia on the shoot apex began, and then in natural light until maturity. Phosphorus (100 mg/l P) was applied at 7, 33 or 54 days after sowing, other plants were left without phosphorus. The response of the plants to phosphorus in terms of final leaf number, grain production and number of fertile spikelets was related to time of initiation. When the time of initiation was 52 or more days after sowing there were some responses in grain yield to phosphorus, but they were independent of time of application; for initiation times of 32 days or less the earlier applications of phosphorus tended to give a greater response.