Comparative Efficacy of Chemical Hybridising Agents as Seed and Foliar Spray Treatments on Wheat

Abstract

Chemical hybridizing agents (CHAs) help in "two line" heterosis breeding of wheat. Eight chemicals viz five N-acyl anilines and three analogues of N-aryl-5-carboxy-4, 6-dimethyl-1, 2-dihydroprid-2-ones were evaluated as CHAs both by foliar spray treatment at premeiotic stage as well as seed treatment. In general, foliar spray showed higher activity compared to seed treatment. The highest activity of 99.9 per cent at 1500 ppm foliar spray treatment was shown by ethyl-4-flouro oxanilate which was closely followed by 5-carboxy-N-(4-bromophenyl)-4, 6-dimethyl-1, 2-dihydroprid-2-one with 99.4 per cent male sterility. Ethyl-4-cyano oxanilate caused the highest male sterility of 65.3 per cent when seeds were treated at 1 per cent (w/w) of seeds. Even though none of the test chemicals has caused very high induction of male sterility as seed treatment, the very fact that the activity could be induced through seed treatment leads to two conclusions. First, the efficacy Second of the CHA can be persistent in the life cycle of the plant. Second, the seed treatment offers an alternative way for inducing male sterility.