Influence of Seaweed Yeast Extract Water for Vernalization on the Heading Date and Yield of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

To increase production level of wheat, plant nutrition technique was investigated with late-summer sowing. In this study, seaweed yeast extract (SYE) water and tap water were used in the vernalization of wheat seeds and for weekly irrigation of the wheat plants. Plants were grown in a phytotron simulating field conditions of late-summer sowing cultivation. SYE water was tested for its physical and chemical properties. Wheat plants treated with SYE water showed rapid leaf emergence, produced fewer tillers and attained their final height sooner than tap water, indicating a shorter vegetative growth period. Plants treated with SYE water likewise exhibited early heading and maturity, resulting in a shorter cultivation period. SYE-treated wheat had heavier thousand grain weight over control using tap water. Although there are no significant differences on other growth parameters, SYE-treated wheat had the higher number of grains per spike (34), heavier grain weight (0.87g) and higher weight per pot (14.11g). Thus, vernalization and irrigation with SYE water influenced earlier heading date which resulted to higher yield.