Effect of soaking with colchicine on some anatomical traits, growth and yield of wheat Triticum aestivum L

Abstract

During the winter agricultural season of 2022-2023, a field experiment was carried out in Al-Basateen Al-Sharqiah region, which is located approximately 4 km away from the center of Al-Muthanna governorate. The objective of the experiment was to investigate various anatomical and phenotypic parameters of wheat cultivars under the influence of the mutagenic alkaloid colchicine, at concentrations of 0, 250, 500, and 750 mg L-1. The study employed  the RCBD design was used with the arrangement of the split plots with three replications. The main plots were assigned to different concentrations of colchicine, while the sub-plots were assigned to different cultivars (Ibaa 99, Mawadah, Bohuth22, Babel).

The statistical analysis yielded considerable variations among the cultivars in terms of both phenotypical features and histological sections of the leaves. The cultivar Bohuth22(V3) shown exceptional performance in terms of spike density, with an mean of 242.3 spikes per square meter, as well as grain yield, with an mean of 65.90 grains per spike. On the other hand, the cultivar Babel(V4)exhibited superiority in terms of the weight of 1000 grains, averaging at 54.27 grams. Regarding the cultivar Ibaa 99(V1), it had a notable advantage in relation to the thickness of the vascular bundles found in the leaf tissue, measuring 115.33 µm.

The results clearly indicated the positive impact of mutagenic colchicine on various traits. Specifically, at a concentration of 250 mg L^-1, and the weight of 1000 grains was 51.04 g. However, when the concentration exceeded 750 mg L^-1, the effects were not further enhanced. The flag leaf area is measured to be approximately 36.66 cm², the biological yield is recorded as 14.17 tons ha^-1, and the grain yield is recorded as 4.574 tons ha^-1. Additionally, the concentration surpasses 500 mg per liter as the number of grains per spike reaches 64.38.

Regarding the interaction between the mutagenic compound colchicine and the cultivars, was significant for most studied traits.