Plant growth regulators: their effect on yield of winter wheat in a very dry spring and in the absence of lodging

摘要

Three winter wheat trials were carried out in the cropping year 2010/2011 where a range of varieties were evaluated with no fungicide or plant growth regulator (PGR) input and with a complete fungicide programme with and without PGRs. This enabled theyield responses to PGRs over and above a fungicide programme to be quantified. Despite no crop lodging occuring there were a handful of varieties where the the application of PGRs consistently increased yields. In contrast there were some varieties where no or only very small yield increases recorded. The overall trend to a yield increase from the PGRs is attributed to the season where potential grain site survival was reduced by an early seaon drought but conditions for grain fill were good.