GRAIN YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS AT DIFFERENT SOWING TIMES AND SOWING DEPTHS IN BARLEY (Hordeum vulgare L. CONV. DISTICHON) UNDER RAINFED CONDITIONS

This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of different sowing dates (5th October, 20th October, 5th November, and 20th November) and sowing depths (2, 4, 6 and 8 cm) on yield and some yield characters in two rowed barley (cv. Tokak 157/37) under rainfed conditions. The field study was conducted in Kirsehir ecological condition during 2014-15 and 2015-16 winter growing seasons. Grain yield and important yield traits such as plant height, spike length, number of fertile spike per square meter, number of grain per spike and grain weight per spike were determined. Sowing dates and depths influenced significantly the grain yield and yield components in two consecutive years. Most of the yield components were adversely affected by deeper sowing depths and delayed sowing dates. Based on two-year average, the highest grain yield was recorded with 2733 kg ha-1 at 20th October sowing date and 4 cm depth; in contrast the lowest grain yield was 513 kg ha-1 by the 20th November and 8 cm depth. Keywords: Cereals, Hordeum vulgare, crop production, dryland, arid agriculture, seedling emergence, grain yield.