Improvement of Grain Yield, Nutritional and Antinutritional Quality, and Seed Physiological Performance of Wheat by NPK Fertilization

The present research was conducted to study the effect of NPK fertilization on wheat grain yield, minerals concentration, grain quality, gluten, pentosan, and phytate phosphorous (phy-P) content, and the influence of maternal plant NPK fertilization on the seed physiological attributes during the germination period. NPK treatments comprised a control, where no fertilizer was applied (T-0), and two levels of NPK fertilizer: T-1 (110 kg N+60 kg P2O5+55 kg K2O ha(-1)), and T-2 (200 kg N+120 kg P2O5+100 kg K2O ha(-1)). Winter wheat was grown in a greenhouse during the growing season of 2015-16, following randomized complete block design with 4 replicates. The results indicated that a high level of NPK (T-2) fertilization increased the grain yield, crude protein, water-soluble pentosan, and dry gluten, up to 151.6, 65.3, 40.5, and 408.9% compared to the control, respectively. It also enhanced the grain mineral concentration, but did not affect the grain starch significantly. Grain phy-P was increased with a high NPK fertilization and, interestingly, the level of phytase enzyme was also increased up to 46% in T-2 compared to the control. Moreover, maternal plant NPK fertilization enhanced seed germination percentage, seedling fresh weight, phytase activity, inorganic phosphorus, and phy-P metabolism during the germination period. From the results of this study, it was concluded that grain nutritional quality was improved with increasing NPK rates, but antinutritional compound phy-P was also increased, while it may enhance seed viability, germination, and seedling vigor.