Growth of Wheat Plants Submitted to the Application of the Growth Regulator Trinexapac-ethyl and Vigor of the Produced Seeds

Abstract

The use of growth regulators in wheat aims to reduce problems caused by the lodging of plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth and vigor expression of wheat seeds treated with a growth regulator and the fertilization of plants to achieve high yields. The cultivar used was OR Topázio, the treatments consisted of the combination of five rates of the trinexapac-ethyl [0 – no application; 200; 400; 600 e 800 mL of the commercial product ha^-1] and eight harvesting dates [14, 28, 42, 56, 70, 84, 98 e 112 days after emergence ]. The experimental design was completely randomized, in a factorial scheme 5 x 8 (five rates and eight harvest dates) with four repetitions. The total dry matter, dry matter production rate, relative growth rate, net assimilation rate, conversion efficiency of solar energy, photoassimilate partition, harvest index, and seedling emergence index were evaluated. Allocation of total dry matter, relative growth rate, plant height and harvest index were reduced by the growth regulator, with varied intensity according to the rate applied. The net assimilation rate was reduced in plants subjected to 400, 600 and 800 mL ha^-1. The seedling emergence and the speed of emergence index were not affected by the action of the growth regulator.