ANBAR JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

Abstract

The aim was to study honeycomb selection and its effects on improving chlorophyll content and grain yield. A field trail was conducted on a farm of Agriculture College –university of Baghdad. Two cycles of honeycomb selection was done in 2007 -2008-2009 and followed by another trail to evaluate the performance of selected genotypes. RCBD with three replications and factorial experiment arrangement was used. The results showed many effects of honeycomb selection of increasing chlorophyll content in selected plants reached to 21.9 and 40% for two varieties 5018, 5012 respectively. In the same way , the plants grown at plant density(D1)40 thousand plants/ha gave a high content of chlorophyll as compared with plants under plant density(D2) 80thousand plants/ha nitrogen fertilizer cause high chlorophyll content in plants leaves reached to 12.61 ,13.00mg/ g fresh weight in two nitrogen rates 200 , 400kg N/ ha respectively. The grain yield was increased by selection about 18.6, 12.8% in two varieties 5018 and 5012 at plant density (D1) whereas at plant density (D2) about 5.26, 21% in two varieties 5012, 5018 respectively. The nitrogen fertilizer increase chlorophyll content in plants causing increasing photosynthesis process, seed formation, reducing ovary abortion and eventually increasing grain yield up to 3.94 ,5.24 t/ ha for 5012 in two nitrogen rates 200 , 400 kg N/ ha respectively but in (D2) the grain yield was 6.13 , 8.16 for two nitrogen rates 200 , 400kg N/ ha respectively. From all above we can conclude that high chlorophyll content have positive effects on grain yield and some related traits therefore, we recommend to produce superior hybrids or genotypes with high chlorophyll content .