Effect of Soil Moisture and Type of Tillage and Sowing Machinery on Yield and Yield Components of Wheat in Saline Soils of Mahshahr, Iran

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of soil moisture and tillage and sowing machinery on yield and yield components of wheat in the saline soils of Mahshahr, Iran. The experiment was carried out as a split-plot according to a randomized complete block design with three replications. Independent variables included soil moisture during tillage at three levels of 10%, 15%, and 20% as the main factor. Sub-factor included the type of tillage and sowing machinery at four levels including 1) without the use of chisel-piler and sowing with flat seeder machine, 2) without the use of chisel-piler and sowing with furrow seeder machine, 3) one time use of chisel-piler to a depth of 20 cm and sowing with flat seeder machine, and 4) one time use of chisel-piler to a depth of 20 cm and sowing with furrow seeder machine. In order to prepare the land, irrigation was done before tillage according to the region's customs to reduce the tensile strength of the soil against tillage machines. After the soil moisture was suitable according to the main factors, the tillage was done with a 24-bladed disk machine once to a depth of 15 cm. The maximum clod weight was obtained in the condition of not using a chisel-piler and soil moisture of 20%, and the lowest was obtained in using a chisel-piler and soil moisture of 10%. The maximum number of tiller/plant, number of spikes/m2, number of spikelet/spike, number of grain/spike, number of grain/spikelet, biological yield, and grain yield was under using chisel-piler and sowing with furrow seeder machine with 20% soil moisture, and the lowest in the treatment with no chisel-piler and sowing with flat seeder machine. In general, the results showed that the use of chisel-piler and sowing with furrow seeder machine under 20% soil moisture had the best results in terms of grain formation and yield in saline soils, which can be suggested to reduce the effects of salinity.