EFFECT OF PLANTING DENSITY ON YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS OF TRITICALE IN COMPARISON TO BARLEY

Three cultivars of hexaploid triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack.) and one barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivar were examined at three planting densities, 150, 325 and 500 plants m^-2 at two field sites, with low and high fertility, in a factorial experiment arranged in a randomized complete block design at Agricultural Research Station of Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. The results showed that for most of the characters investigated, there were significant differences between ʹValfajr" barley and the triticales, and also among the three triticales. Effects of plant density on number of fertile spikes m^-2, number of kernels spike^-1 mean kernel weight, phytomass and grain yield depended on genotype and soil fertility. Combined analysis showed that increasing plant density from 150 plants m^-2 to 500 plants m^-2 increased grain yield in both barley and triticale cultivars. Number of fertile shoots per plant and kernel number spike^-1 showed a significant decrease as planting density increased. The higher biological yield in barley was mainly associated with higher grain yield. Harvest index was not significantly influenced by density at two sites, however, the barley plants had higher harvest index than triticale cultivars. Further research may shed more light on potential use of triticales in low fertility soils of southern Iran.