Evaluation of seeding rate on forage and seed yield for two wheat species

To evaluate the effect of seeding rate on forage and seed yield for two species of beard wheat (Triticum avesticum var. Tejan) and durum wheat (Triticum durum var. Stork) in rainfed system, an experiment was conducted in Bahnamir region at Mazandaran province in 2000. The design was arranged as split plots with the wheat species assigned to the main plots and seeding rates of 130, 180 and 230 kg/ha as the subplots. The plants were harvested at vegetative growth stage (before booting) for forage and at the end of the physiological maturity for seed production. The durum wheat (Stork cultivar) in both vegetative and the end of the physiological maturity growth stages produced significantly more biomass than bread wheat. As seeding rate increased the more biomass was harvested, however, the seed production decreased in both species. The durum wheat was significantly more sensitive to increment of seeding rate in response to seed production. The maximum seed yield for durum wheat was obtained at seeding rate of 130 kg/ha while bread wheat showed no significant response to seeding rate.