Irrigated wheat response to population density and planting date in bed planting in Northwest Mexico

Irrigated wheat response to different population densities and planting dates when it is planted on raised beds is not well defined. A field study was carried out at the Yaqui Valley Agricultural Experimental Station in Sonora, Mexico during fall-winter 1992–1993, in a split plot design with three planting dates: Nov 10, Dec 10 and Jan 10; and six population densities: 50, 100, 150 200, 250 and 800 thousand plants per hectare (TPPH), in a complete randomized block design, with four replications. The fertilization used was 150-40-0 kg ha −1 of N-P 2 O 5 -K 2 O; the wheat variety used was Altar C85. Results indicated that wheat response to population density (PD) was different at different planting dates. At an early date, the plants grew taller and more vigorous and the field area could be covered with a small number of plants. The optimal PD was around 150 TPPH (15 plants m −2 ) when planted on Nov 10, which represents less than 10 kg ha-1 of seed. After this date, it was required to increase the PD as th...