Evaluating the Response of Bread Wheat Genotypes to Weed Interference under Dryland Conditions

The response of bread wheat genotypes to weed interference was evaluated under dryland conditions. An experiment was conducted with 26 genotypes of bread wheat and two known cultivars, Sardari and Azar2, as checks in a strip plot (Split block) arrangement based on Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications in 2002-03 at Dryland Agricultural Research Institute, Srarood, Kermanshah. Weed-free and weedyconditions were assigned to horizontal factor with genotypes as vertical factor. Plant height, number of seeds per spike, number of spikes per square meter, grain yield, weed density and dry matter, and indices of Weed Interference Tolelance Index (WITI) and Competition Index (CI) were recorded. Mean comparison showed that genotypes 13, 1, 26 and 8 had higher grain yield than those of checks under both weed-free and weedy conditions. These genotypes also had higher WITI in comparison with the checks. According to CI values, genotypes No. 1, 9, 13, 26 and 27 including checks had a high potential of weed competition. Results of stepwise regression analysis based on WITI as the dependent variable indicated that the number of spike, plant height and number of seed per spike had positive and significant effects on WITI. On the wole, considering WITI and grain yield as two main attributes, genotypes 13, 26, 1 and 8 were selected as appropriate since they showed a high weed competitive ability and also produced higher grain yields under both weedy and weed-free conditions.