Study of water productivity and nitrogen use efficiency of wheat in two different soil types

Abhari, Abbas

doi:10.22059/ije.2025.403754.1887

Study of water productivity and nitrogen use efficiency of wheat in two different soil types

Document Type : Research Article

Author

abbas abhari

Associate Professor of Research Core for Environmental Stress and Climate Change Studies, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran

10.22059/ije.2025.403754.1887

Abstract

Objective: Rising temperatures due to climate change have caused serious damage to agricultural production. This phenomenon increases plant water demand, accelerates soil moisture evaporation, and reduces soil organic carbon, thereby decreasing soil fertility and crop yield. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of fulvic acid and humic acid on water productivity and nitrogen use efficiency in wheat under two soil types.
Methods: The experiment was carried out using a randomized complete block design with three replications in the fields of Kizour, Sabzevar County, during the 2020–2021 growing seasons. Treatments included cultivation of the wheat cultivar Backcross Roshan in two soil types, clay loam and sandy loam (two locations), and four foliar application levels of fulvic and humic acids (0, 5, 10, and 15 g per thousand) applied at the tillering stage.
Results: The results showed that in both clay loam and sandy loam soils, increasing the application rate of fulvic and humic acids increased total dry weight and the number of grains per square meter, which consequently enhanced grain yield. As a result, water productivity increased from 0.54 to 0.86 in clay loam soil and from 0.38 to 0.58 in sandy loam soil. In sandy loam soil, the leaf chlorophyll index also increased with higher application rates of fulvic and humic acids.
Conclusion: The application of fulvic and humic acids improved physiological processes, including enhanced cellular metabolism and increased leaf chlorophyll content, which prolonged leaf longevity. These effects helped the plant tolerate heat stress during sensitive growth stages (through increased proline accumulation). Moreover, improved grain filling (higher thousand-grain weight) increased the starch-to-protein ratio in the grain. Considering the increase in the chlorophyll index after foliar application, fulvic and humic acids can improve cellular metabolism and leaf chlorophyll content, thereby acting as stress-mitigating agents during critical growth stages and extending the growing season. Application of humic acid increased grain yield, although the magnitude of yield improvement differed between clay loam and sandy loam soils.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Climate Change

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