Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p> The present investigation entitled “Wheat response to different dates of sowing and foliar application of plant bioregulators under poplar (Populus deltoides Bartr.) plantation” was conducted at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, during <italic>rabi</italic> seasons of 2022-23 and 2023-24. The study comprised two experiments laid out in split-plot design with three replications under poplar (8 m × 2.5 m spacing). Experiment I evaluated three sowing dates (25th October, 10th November and 25th November) in main plots and five foliar applications of plant bioregulators (control, potassium silicate @ 2.3%, sodium nitroprusside @ 0.5%, potassium nitrate @ 2% and zinc sulphate @ 0.5%) in sub-plots. Results revealed that wheat sown on 25th October and 10th November exhibited superior growth, physiological performance and yield attributes, as it synchronized crop development with the leafless phase of poplar and helped in escaping terminal heat stress. Among foliar treatments, significantly higher grain yield was recorded with application of potassium nitrate @ 2% (49.0 and 45.7 q/ha) which was statistically at par with zinc sulphate @ 0.5% (47.3 and 43.7 q/ha) and higher than control during 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. </p>