Does seed treatment affect wheat yield components?

Joice Aline Freiberg

*, Marcos Paulo Ludwig

, Eduardo Girotto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35699/2447-6218.2021.29642

Abstract

A variety of products have been used on seeds to maintain or increase their grain yield potential. In this study, we evaluated

the effect of different seed treatment products, such as micronutrients, polymer, fungicide, and insecticide on the yield

components and grain yield of wheat. Wheat seeds of the cultivar “Tec Vigore” were subjected to 12 treatments, in different

combinations, using the following protective seed products: micronutrient 1 (1% Mn, 0.1% Mo, 10% Zn), micronutrient 2

(0.3% B, 0.3% Co, 3% Zn), polymer (ColorSeed HE®), fungicide (Vitavax®-Thiram 200 SC), and insecticide (Cruiser® 350

FS). At the point of physiological maturity, we proceeded with the following evaluations of the wheat crop: the number of

tillers per plant, the number of fertile tillers per plant, grains per ear, the mass of grains per ear, and grain yield. Seed

treatment did not affect the number of grains per ear or the mass of grains per ear. The number of tillers per plant and the

number of fertile tillers per plant were higher in seeds treated with fungicide + insecticide; however, seed treatment did not

significantly affect wheat grain yield.

Keywords:

Ears. Grain yield. Tillers. Triticum aestivum L..

O tratamento de sementes afeta os componentes de rendimento do trigo?

Resumo

Uma variedade de produtos vem sendo utilizada no tratamento de sementes para manter ou aumentar o potencial produtivo de

grãos. Neste estudo, avaliou-se o efeito de diferentes produtos aplicados no tratamento de sementes, como micronutrientes,

polímero, fungicida e inseticida sobre os componentes do rendimento e a produtividade do trigo. Sementes de trigo da

cultivar Tec Vigore foram submetidas a doze tratamentos, em diferentes combinações, utilizando os seguintes produtos

protetores de sementes: micronutriente 1 (1% Mn, 0,1% Mo, 10% Zn), micronu- triente 2 (0,3% B, 0,3% Co; 3 % Zn),

polímero (ColorSeed HE®), fungicida (Vitavax®-Thiram 200 SC) e inseticida (Cruiser® 350 FS). Na maturação fisiológica do

trigo, procedemos as seguintes avaliações: número de perfilhos por planta, número de perfilhos férteis por planta, grãos por

espiga, massa de grãos por espiga e produtividade de grãos. O tratamento de sementes não afetou o número de grãos por espiga

nem a massa de grãos por espiga. O número de perfilhos por planta e o número de perfilhos férteis por planta foram superiores

em sementes tratadas com fungicida

+ inseticida, entretanto o tratamento de sementes não afetou significativamente a produtividade de grãos de trigo.

Palavras-chave:

Espigas. Perfilhos. Produção de grãos. Triticum aestivum L..

1Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Santa Maria, RS. Brasil.

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9086-9882

2Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Sul. Ibirubá, RS. Brasil.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1350-0181

3Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Sul. Bento Gonçalves, RS. Brasil.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5389-5325

*Autor para correspondência: jaf.freiberg@gmail.com

Recebido para publicação em 25 de fevereiro de 2021. Aceito para publicação em 01 de abril de 2021

e-ISSN: 2447-6218 /

ISSN: 2447-6218. Atribuição CC BY.

CADERNO DE CIÊNCIAS AGRÁRIAS

Agrarian Sciences Journal

Freiberg, J. A. et al.

Introduction

Seed treatment promotes the protection of seeds

and

seedlings against diseases transmitted by seeds and insect

pests, which affect the emergence of seedlings, their

growth, and the grain yield potential. Based on the

importance of seed treatments, there have been studies

reporting their effect on the initial performance.

The experiment was implemented in June 2013,

through direct sowing, after the soybean culture. The plots

consisted of 20 rows that were five meters in length and

spaced at 0.17 meters. The crop management followed the

recommendations of the Comissão de Química e Fertilidade

do Solo – RS/SC [Commission of Chemistry and Soil

Fertility – RS/SC] (2004) and the technical in- formation for

the control of weeds, diseases, and pests in wheat crops

2013 (IAPAR, 2012). At the point of phy- siological

maturity, we proceeded with the following evaluations of

the wheat crop: the number of tillers per plant, determined

by counting the tillers of each plant in 0.5 m; the number of

fertile tillers per plant, by cou- nting the tillers with at least

one grain; grains per ear, by counting the number of grains

of seven ears collected randomly in each plot; and the mass

of grain per ear by

determining the mass of grains in each ear.

Furthermore, we evaluated the grain yield by harvesting 6

central rows

measuring 3 meters in each plot. The grain

mass was weighted, then the value was adjusted to 13%

humidity and expressed in kg ha-1.

In initial seedling establishment, seed treatment can

compensate for systems with smaller plant establish-

ments

(Beres et al., 2016), especially those from low vigor seeds

(Heer, 1998). However, only a few studies have reported

the effect of seed treatment on the grain yield of the cultures,

notably in cultures such as wheat.

Considering grain yield, Freiberg et al. (2017)

found that seed treatment, which included the polymer

+ micronutrient treatment (1% Mn, 0.1% Mo, 10% Zn), had a

negative effect on wheat grain yield and reduced

hectoliter

weight. Conversely, Rufino et al. (2013) repor-

ted an increase

in the grain mass per plant after the seed treatment with Zn.

Meanwhile, the use of fungicide, Zn,

and polymer, either

alone or in combination, did not show

a significant effect on

the hectoliter weight of wheat.

The data were analyzed considering twelve

treatments and four repetitions in a randomized block

design. The analysis of variance and test of hypotheses

were

performed to verify the effect of the treatments, and logarithmic

transformations of data (log10) were applied

when the

normality of data was violated. When signi- ficant, the

means were compared using the Scott-Knott test at a 5%

probability level in the package ‘easyanova’ (Arnhold,

2013). Yield component values were also cor- related with

the grain yield using Pearson’s correlation at a 5%

probability level. All analyses were performed on R (R

Core Team 2019).

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the

effect

of different products used in seed treatments, such as

micronutrients, polymer, fungicide, and insecticide, on

the

yield components and on the grain yield of wheat.

Material and methods

The experiment was carried out on crops grown

during 2013 in the experimental area of the Instituto

Federal

de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande

do Sul,

Campus Ibirubá, RS, Brazil. Wheat seeds of the cultivar

“Tec Vigore” that were used in the sowing were produced in

the 2012 crop. These seeds belonged to the

same genetic

category, and presented an 80% germination

rate and had 93%

purity. Wheat seeds were subjected to

12 treatments, in

different combinations, using the follo-

wing protective seed

products: micronutrient 1 (1% Mn, 0.1% Mo, 10% Zn),

micronutrient 2 (0.3% B, 0.3% Co, 3% Zn), polymer

(ColorSeed HE®), fungicide (Vitavax®

Thiram 200 SC), and

insecticide (Cruiser

350 FS). Doses

of 1.5 mL .kg-1; 1.2 mL

kg-1; 2.5 mL kg-1; and 1.0 mL kg-1 were used in the treatments

of micronutrients, polymer, fungicide, and insecticide,

respectively. The mixture of products and water was

prepared in plastic bags with a capacity of 2 kg. Thereafter,

0.5 kg of wheat seeds were packaged and shaken until

completely coated. The experiment was carried out in

randomized blocks, with twelve treatments and four

replications per treatment, totaling 48 experimental units.

Results and discussion

Seed treatment did not affect the number of grain

per ear or the mass of grain per ear (Figure 1, Table 1).

However, a significant effect of seed treatment was observed

on the number of tillers per plant and the number of fertile

tillers per plant (Figure 1, Table 1). For the control

treatment (C), and the fungicide and insecticide (FI), the

number of tillers was 60% and 99% higher than the average

of other seed treatments.

The number of tillers is an important variable

associated with grain yield, especially when tillers provide ears

(Camponogara et al., 2016). We observed a positive

effect

from using fungicide and insecticide (FI), as well as with

the micronutrients treatments (M1 and M2), on the

number of fertile tillers. However, this effect did not differ

significantly from the control. Conversely, the lowest

number of fertile tillers was obtained when the fungicide

and insecticide were mixed with the polymer.

Cad. Ciênc. Agrá., v. 13, p. 01–05, https://doi.org/10.35699/2447-6218.2021.29642

Does seed treatment affect wheat yield components?

Table 1 – Summary of the analysis of variance (p value and coefficient of variation %) and Pearson correlation.

Analysis of variance

Pearson correlation*

Variable

value

CV (%)

Correlation

value

Grains per ear

Mass of grains per ear

Number of tillers per plant

Number of fertile tillers per plant

Grain yield

0.7557

0.3796

0.0049

0.0099

0.8636

7.95

8.82

33.14

38.42

10.65

-0.1665

-0.1175

0.0942

0.1262

0.2581

0.1175

0.5244

0.3928

*Coefficients referrer to the association between grain yield and the respective yield component.

Furthermore, the quantitative variables of yield

components did not show a significant association with the grain

yield (Table 1) and no significant effect of seed treat-

ment was

observed on grain yield (Figure 2). According to Vesohoski

et al. (2011), the length of the ear, number of spikelets per

ear, and the number of grains per ear

have a positive

association with grain yield. Even though

we have not found a

significant correlation between the number of tillers and

grain yield, Valério et al. (2013) pointed out that the

genotype significantly affects the production of tillers and

noted that expression of this characteristic depends on the

sowing density. In this sen- se, genotypes with high tillering

potential should adopt a lower plant density per meter to

obtain greater grain yield. Among the important

characteristics to consider

when selecting wheat genotypes in

Brazil, Vesohoski et al.

(2011) reported that the weight of a

thousand grains is

associated with the number of grains per

ear. In addition,

Desheva and Kachakova et al. (2013)

reported that the length of the ear, grains per ear, and the

grain mass per ear are also relevant, as well as the number of

ears per unit area (Zhou et al. 2018).

return. These contrasting responses might have been due to

the protective products used on seed treatment, the cultivars,

and the environmental and management conditions of the

different stages of the phenological development of wheat

crops.

From a critical viewpoint, Pedrini et al. (2016)

question the use of products in seed treatment, especially the

polymers used in the coating. Although the coating is

perceived as a high-tech method that provides modifica- tions

to facilitate the handling of seeds and the addition of other

products, these authors highlight the need for

research to

substantiate these uses and question whether the amount of

material used in coating is necessary. In this

sense, more

studies testing different protective products

and their

combinations should be carried out to elucidate

the influence

of seed treatment on the yield components of wheat, as well

as on grain yield.

Conclusions

Seed treatment with micronutrients, polymer,

fungicide, and insecticide, whether separately or in com-

binations, does not affect the number of grains per ear or

the

mass of grain per ear. However, the number of tillers and

fertile tillers may increase after the seed treatment with

fungicide and insecticide without influencing the grain

yield of wheat.

Regarding the seed treatment, a few studies have

reported its effects on wheat yield components. Rufino et

al.

(2013) observed an increase in grain mass per plant after

seed treatment with Zn. Additionally, while they found that

Zn significantly affected the yield, no signi- ficant effect on

the hectoliter weight of the wheat was observed after the

seed treatment with fungicide, zinc (Zn), and polymer,

alone or in combination (Rufino et al., 2013). Meanwhile,

the control seeds produced the lowest mass per plant, but

this group had the highest hectoliter weight. Furthermore,

Freiberg et al. (2017) did not report a significant and

positive effect of seed treatment on grain yield after

treatments with micro- nutrients, polymer, fungicide, and

insecticide, whether isolated or in combinations.

Conversely, Turkington et al. (2016) reported that the

combination of fungicide and insecticide provided the

highest yield and economic

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Fundação de Amparo

Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul [Foundation

for

Research Support of the State of Rio Grande do Sul] -

FAPERGS, for the scholarship granted to the first author. We

would also like to express gratitude to the members of the

Laboratório de Sementes e Grãos of the Instituto

Federal de

Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande

do Sul –

Campus Ibirubá, for their assistance in the field and

laboratory, and also to the mother of the first author for

assisting with the analysis of the yield components.

Cad. Ciênc. Agrá., v. 13, p. 01–05, https://doi.org/10.35699/2447-6218.2021.29642

Freiberg, J. A. et al.

Figure 1 – Yield components of wheat seed subjected, or not, to seed treatment with M1–Micronutrient 1 (1% Mn; 0.1%

Mo; 10%

Zn), M2–Micronutrient 2 (0.3% B; 3% Co; Zn 3%), P¬–polymer, and Fungicide (F) + Insecticide (I). C–control.

Cad. Ciênc. Agrá., v. 13, p. 01–05, https://doi.org/10.35699/2447-6218.2021.29642

Does seed treatment affect wheat yield components?

Figure 2 – Grain yield (kg ha-1) of wheat subjected, or not, to seed treatment with M1–Micronutrient 1 (1% Mn; 0.1% Mo; 10%

Zn), M2–Micronutrient 2 (0.3% B; 3% Co; Zn 3%), P¬–polymer, and Fungicide (F) + Insecticide (I). C–control.

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