Effect of seeding rate on some agro-morphological traist of bread wheat (triticum aestivum)

This thesis was conducted during the 2023–2024 growing season in Derik district of Mardin province, using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The study aimed to evaluate the agro-morphological responses of three bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars (Adana-99, Dinç, and Shiro) under three different seeding rates (300, 500, and 700 seeds/m²). Nine major traits were examined: plant height, peduncle length, spike length, spike weight, number of spikelets per spike, number of grains per spike, spike yield, thousand grain weight, and plot yield. The findings revealed that increasing the seeding rate resulted in reductions in spike weight, number of spikelets and grains per spike, and spike yield, while thousand grain weight and plot yield increased. Plant height, peduncle length, and spike length showed a certain increase as sowing rate increased, followed by a decrease. Among all traits, only plot yield was significantly affected by the seeding rate. However, cultivar effects were statistically significant for most parameters. The highest plot yield was recorded in Adana-99 at the 700 seeds/m² seeding rate, whereas Shiro had the lowest yield performance at the 300 seeds/m² seeding rate This study demonstrated that the impact of seeding rate on yield components varied depending on the cultivar. Proper cultivar selection and optimizing seeding density play a vital role in maximizing yield. The results highlight the importance of seeding rate management for sustainable crop productivity, particularly in the Southeastern of Anatolia Region.