RESPONSE OF SOME WHEAT CULTIVARS TO FOLIAR APPLICATION OF SOME NUTRIENT COMPOUNDS UNDER SANDY SOIL CONDITIONS IN WADI EL-NATRON.

To minimize the adverse effect of salinity and improve of productivity and chemical constituents of wheat grown in sandy soil by using foliar applications two field experiments were laid out in the Desert Experimental Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University in Wadi El-Natroon, El-Beheira Governorate, Egypt during 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 seasons to study the response of three wheat cultivars (Gemmiza12, Sakha93 and Misr2) to foliar application with humic acid, Power Mix, zinc sulphate and putrescine compared with a control treatment on some growth parameters, yield and its components as well as chemical composition content compared with untreated wheat plants. A split-plot design in a randomized complete block arrangement was used with three replications. The main plots were allotted to the seven levels of foliar application and three Egyptian commercial varieties of wheat were devoted to sub-plot. The results indicated significant varietal differences response to the above mentioned treatments in most of traits under study. Misr2 was superior in plant height, fresh and dry weights, root length, No. of spikes/plant, spike weight/plant, straw and grain yields/plant, grain yield/fed, total grain sugar and total free amino acids (FAA) contents. The use of putrescine gave the best results in most of growth traits under study. Particularly plant height, and plant fresh and dry weights. Use of power mix recorded the best results regarding (straw weight/plant, grain weight/spike and spike weight/plant. Sakha93 gave the highest average of grain N, K and shoot N, P and K. The application of 200 ppm putrescine recorded the same results while Misr2 gave the highest reading in shoot N and P. Finally Sakha93 was superior in phenol, total FAA in shoot and grains in phenol content while Misr2 recorded the highest total sugar and total FAA in grain contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]