Effect of Nutrients Foliar Application on Physiological Traits, Morphological Traits, Radiation Use Efficiency, and Grain Yield of Dryland Wheat.

Dryland agriculture accounts for over 40% of agricultural land, and it plays an important role in feeding the world's rising population. Foliar application of nutrients is an effective strategy to increase grain yield in dryland conditions. This experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with six treatments (a control, foliar application of urea 4%, zinc sulfate 0.3%, humic acid 0.1%, potassium chloride 2%, and vitaspirin 0.1%) and three replications on dryland wheat. Nutrients were sprayed in stem elongation and heading stages. In the cropping seasons of 2017–2018 and 2018–2019, the foliar application of urea, humic acid, and vitaspirin significantly improved grain yield; however, in the cropping season of 2019–2020, the foliar application had no significant effect on boosting grain yield. The cropping season of 2018–2019 showed the highest increase in grain yield as a result of the foliar application of different compounds, whereas the cropping season of 2019–2020 saw the lowest increase. Lower autumn and winter temperature and less rainfall are probably to blame for the diminished effect of foliar application on grain yield in the 2019–2020 cropping season. Also, in each of the three cropping seasons, the control had the lowest grain yield. The results show that foliar application of nutrients increases grain yield in dryland conditions and that foliar treatment's effects on growth and grain yield diminish when rainfall drops in dryland conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]