Morphological-developmental reaction and productivity of plants and canopy of semileafless pea (<em>Pisum sativum</em> L.) after seed vaccination with <em>Rhizobium</em> and foliar micronutrient fertilization

Abstract

The determinants of semileafless peas (Pisum sativum> L., cv. Tarchalska) crop productivity were studied during two vegetative seasons: cool 2010 and warm 2011 in south part of Poland (Modzurów 50°09’N 18°07’E; 274 m. a.s.l.. Peas was treated either with seed vaccine (NitraginaTM) containing Rhizobium bacteria or foliar micronutrient fertilizer (Photrel^TM) or both of them. The range of peas response to treatments included biometrical measurements and also the measurements of vegetation indices namely, green area index (GAI), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and relative chlorophyll content (SPAD), carried out in the specific stages of development, which for the compared objects were generally insignifi cant. In the warmer growing season, pea plants grew better, what resulted in a very high yield of seeds per plant, determined by a greater number of large seeds. It was shown that the length and weight of pea pod and the number of seeds formed in the pod depends on its position on the particular node. The longest pods, characterized by the greatest weight and number of seeds, developed on the lower nodes: 1^st and 2^nd one. The pea pods forming on higher nodes, from the 3^rd, had reduced number of fruits and the weight of a single seed. The shortest pods were growing out of the 5^th and 6^th nodes, at the top of the stem. Analysis of the single pea seed mass shows a highly significant effect of its position in the fruit on pod productivity. Seeds located in the central part of the pod had the greatest mass, and this accuracy, as highly significant, was found for the pods containing from 3 to 8 seeds. The tested agrochemical treatments did not differentiate the chemical composition of seeds.