2025, Vol. 5, Issue 2, Part D

A field experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station, College of Agriculture, University of Basrah, at the Karma Ali site, in a soil of loamy texture during the winter growing season of 2023-2024. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of nitrogen fertilization and number of cuts on the grain yield of triticale (Triticosecale Wittmack X.). The study included two factors: the first factor consisted of three nitrogen fertilizer levels—100, 150, and 200 kg N ha⁻¹—while the second factor was the number of cuts (one cut and two cuts), denoted as C₁ and C₂, respectively. The experiment was arranged in a factorial layout using a randomized complete block design (R.C.B.D) with three replications. Yield components and spike efficiency traits were studied. The results indicated that increasing nitrogen fertilizer levels led to an improvement in yield components and total grain yield. The level of 200 kg N ha⁻¹ (N₃) produced the highest mean values for spike length, number of spikes per square meter, number of grains per spike, and grain yield, reaching 11.113 cm, 530.7 spikes m⁻², 59.52 grains spike⁻¹, and 6.467 Mg ha⁻¹, respectively. On the other hand, the level of 100 kg N ha⁻¹ (N₁) recorded the highest mean of 1000-grain weight (38.93 g). Likewise, one cutting (C₁) resulted in the highest mean values of spike length, number of spikes per square meter, number of grains per spike, and grain yield (10.910 cm, 518.9 spikes m⁻², 58.86 grains spike⁻¹, and 7.056 Mg ha⁻¹, respectively). A significant interaction was observed between nitrogen fertilizer levels and number of cuts for some traits. The combination of 200 kg N ha⁻¹ with one cutting (N₃ × C₁) gave the highest mean values of spike length and number of grains per spike, reaching 11.403 cm and 61.70 grains spike⁻¹, respectively.