Author(s): J. RAJ, S. K. PATHAK, A. ROY CHOWDHURY, BHAVYA, M. GHOSH, S. S. ACHARYA AND S. B. CHOUDHARY

Abstract: A field experiment was laid out in split-plot design during the rabi season of 2022-2023 at Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar to assess seven wheat varieties (HD 3388, HD 3249, HD 3086, HD 2967, DBW 222, DBW 187 and PBW 826) for their canopy growth dynamics, relative water content and productivity under timely (3rd week of November) and late sown (3rd week of December) conditions. Late sowing exposed the post-anthesis stage of wheat to 4-5 °C higher temperatures over timely sowing, affecting all growth and yield attributes, ultimately reducing yield by 34.17.%. The variety HD 3249 emerged as the top yielder (3730 kg ha^-1) irrespective of sowing windows showing superior aerial biomass at 10 days after anthesis (694.16g m-2), and strong positive correlation (r≥0.99, p<0.001), mainly contributed by higher spike density (253.70 m-2; r=0.97, p≤0.01) ; maintaining favourable canopy water relations, even under higher degree of stress (relative water content 68.45% at post-anthesis stage) refuting the ill effect of stress. Thus, HD 3249 may be selected to sustain wheat yield against terminal high temperature environments in eastern India.

DOI: 10.22271/09746315.2024.v20.i1.1769

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