Prof. Mohamed Hassan Hamza Abbas :: Publications:

The current study aims at increasing durum wheat productivity under arid-conditions via following two strategies: seed irradiation with γ-rays and spraying plants with nano Cu. Wheat seeds were irradiated in a60Co Gamma Irradiation Unit to achieve 0Gy (R0), 50Gy (R50),100Gy (R100), 150Gy (R150) and 200Gy (R200), while nano Cu-was prepared in lab. A field study of a split-plot design was then conducted for 2-seasons, in which foliar applications with nano-Cu were applied in main plots i.e. 30 (nCu30), 60 (nCu60) and 90 mg Cu L−1 (nCu90) versus the recommended Cu-mineral dose (Cu60) while irradiated seeds were applied in subplots. The obtained results showed that the highest increases in wheat growth and yield were attained for Cu60. Comparable increases in grain yield were noticed for nCu60 foliar application. Likewise, γ-irradiation (≤150Gy) effectively enhanced wheat growth and productivity. Generally, wheat growth parameters and productivity were correlated significantly and positively with plant uptake of Cu, N, Fe, Zn and Mn. Concerning combination between these two factors, the highest increase in grain yield was noted for R150nCu90, recording 4.7 and 5.5 Mg ha−1 in the first and second seasons respectively. These yields were over 20 % higher than R0Cu60 treatment in the two seasons of study. We concluded that seed irradiation with γ-rays up to 150 Gy and nano-Cu spray (nCu60) is guaranteed to increase wheat productivity grown on arid soils.