Effect of Nitrogen Application and Foliar Spraying ascorbic acid on the Vegetative Growth of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

A pot experiment was carried out in Al-Hur region in the season 2024-2025, for studying the effect of nitrogen fertilization, Foliar ascorbic acid spraying and its interactions on some vegetative growth characteristics for wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L., cv.);"> Abu Ghraib) which were grown in sandy loam soil. The trial consisted of three nitrogen (B) rates (0, 75, 100 kg N·ha⁻¹) applied in three split applications (post-emergence, three-leaf stage and at flowering). The second comprised three levels of ascorbic acid (A) concentration at 0, 250 and 500 mg·L⁻¹ applied by foliary spraying at two times: the thinning stage (four-leaf stage) and the elongation stage (eight-leaf stage). The experiment comprised 27 treatment combinations which were laid out in a CRD with three replications and subjected to statistical analysis. The key findings are: Effects of Nitrogen Fertilization: Nitrogen supply had a large effect on vegetative growth characters which were consistently increased with the level of nitrogen supply. Nitrogen at the highest level (100 kg N·ha⁻¹) produced the tallest plant height (52 cm) and the largest number of leaves (14.4 leaves·plant⁻¹). Effect of Ascorbic Acid Foliar Spraying: 1. Foliar spraying with ascorbic acid significantly affected certain vegetative traits at the highest concentration (500 mg·L⁻¹), resulting in increased plant height, number of tillers (4.2 tillers·plant⁻¹), and flag leaf area (374.1 cm²·plant⁻¹). 2. Interaction Effect (Nitrogen × Ascorbic Acid): The interaction between 500 mg·L⁻¹ ascorbic acid and 100 kg N·ha⁻¹ produced a highly significant effect on all vegetative traits, recording the highest values for plant height (57 cm), number of tillers (4.5 tillers·plant⁻¹), number of leaves (15.7 leaves·plant⁻¹), and flag leaf area (379.2 cm²·plant⁻¹). This combination was identified as the optimal treatment for enhancing vegetative growth.