STABILIZING PRODUCTIVITY OF DROUGHTSTRESSED CROPS BY FOLIAR APPLICATION OF ALKANOLAMINES - Soybean and Wheat Crops: Growth, Fertilization, and Yield - page 228

Treatment with alkanolamines increased the grain yield by 38/20.4 %. Referring these values
to the yield obtained under non-stress conditions, the dramatic overall losses were 7.6/6.2 %
smaller. All cultivars expressed positive responses to treatment with alkanolamines.

No stress Drought stress Stress + EA

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Salome, 4
tests

Alexis, 2
tests

Krona, 1 test Trumpf, 2

tests

Figure 2. Grain yield (g/pot) of spring barley cultivars grown in Mitscherlich pots (6.9 kg soil, 19
plants) under drought stress. Ethanolamine (0.3 to 0.5 mg per plant) applied at early shooting state.
a, Yield increases relative to drought-stressed, untreated plants significant at p < 0.05.
Treatment of drought- stressed barley plants with choline chloride stabilized the grain yield to the same
extent. Adapted from Bergmann et al. (2002).

Table 1. Association of the grain yield with first (main)- and second-order (side) tillers
of cereals cultured in Mitscherlich pots (6.9 kg soil, 16 plants) under moderate drought
stress
Spring barley (Salome)

Detail Plant organ Winter rye (Pluto) Winter wheat (Alcedo)

Untreated EA-appl. Untreated EA-appl. Untreated EA-appl.

Grain yield in
g per pot

Whole plant 56.7 59.4 b 61.3 65.7 b 37.0 38.4

Main tiller 16.3 16.6 34.5 34.2 29.1 29.2

43.0 b 30.5 b 9.2 b Side tillers 40.4 26.8 7.9

76.4 b 41.8 b Ears per pot Whole plant 72.5 38.3 29.0 28.8

60.3 b 25.7 b

Side tillers 56.5 22.3 13.0 12.8

Number of
grains per ear

Whole plant 19.2 18.6 46.8 44.4 29.5 31.3

21.5 b Side tillers 18.3 17.7 40.2 37.2 17.0

Single grain
weight in mg

Whole plant 40.8 41.7 33.7 35.1 44.8 44.0

Side tillers 39.1 40.3 29.9 31.9 35.8 33.7

Coefficient of fertile side tillers a 1.00 b 0.83 b 0.88 0.75 0.71 0.70

a Quotient of fertile side tillers to the number of their initials formed at the outset of shooting.
b Values significantly ( p < 0.05) different from those of untreated controls.
Application of 10 mg ethanolamine per pot at early shooting. Adapted from Bergmann et al. (1991).

In drought-stressed cereals, the numbers of ears formed by second-order tillers are
substantially lower (Jensen and Tophoj 1985; Kachel and Roth 1987; Weber et al. 1990).
Relative grain yield increases by alkanolamine treated plants were then actually brought forth
by the higher number of fertile side tillers in barley, rye, and wheat and their higher grain