Effects of vermicompost and zinc element foliar application on yield and baking quality of wheat under terminal moisture limitation stress conditions

In some regions of Iran, drought stress generally reduces yield at the final stages of wheat growth. This experiment was performed to investigate the effects of vermicompost and zinc foliar application on yield, yield components and quality traits of bread wheat (Chamran 2) under terminal moisture limitation stress, during 2018-19 in the research farm of the faculty of Agriculture of Lorestan University. The experiment was carried out as split-factorial based on a Randomized Complete Block Design with eight treatments and three replications. The main factor was moisture limitation stress (full irrigation until the end of the growing season and cessation of irrigation from the beginning of grain filling) and sub-factors were vermicompost (no application, and application of vermicompost 5 t ha-1) and foliar application of zinc (distilled water and zinc sulfate solution 3/1000 (w/v) equals to 0.36 g zinc sulfate m-2). The results showed that moisture limitation stress significantly reduced the 1000-grain weight, grain yield, harvest index, and Falling number. Interaction of moisture limitation × vermicompost × zinc was significant for grain protein and Zeleny sedimentation. Application of vermicompost increased grain yield, biological yield, harvest index, grain protein and Zeleny sedimentation thereby improved quantity and quality of wheat grain particularly under non-moisture limitation condition. Zinc foliar application also significantly increased the grain yield, biological yield, grain zinc content, protein percentage and Zeleny sedimentation. Combined and separate application of vermicompost and zinc foliar application reduced the damage of moisture limitation stress on the quantitative and qualitative yield of wheat. Therefore, use of them is recommended as a crop management practice in Khorramabad climatic condition particularly where terminal moisture limitation stress is usually occur.