Vol. 7, Issue 9, Part A (2025)

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important cereal crops globally, serving as a staple food for millions of people. The productivity of wheat is often constrained by environmental stress, poor nutrient uptake, and limited photosynthetic efficiency. Bioregulators such as thiourea and kinetin have emerged as promising tools to modulate physiological and biochemical processes in plants, thereby improving growth, yield, and economic returns. The present investigation was carried out during the rabi season with nine treatments, including seed soaking and foliar application of bioregulators at tillering and flowering stages. Growth traits (plant height, dry matter accumulation, chlorophyll content), yield attributes (effective tillers, spike length, grains per spike, test weight), yields (grain, straw, biological yield, harvest index), and economics (net returns and benefit-cost ratio) were evaluated. The results revealed significant differences among treatments. Foliar application of thiourea (500 ppm) at tillering and flowering (T₆) and combined seed soaking + foliar spray of thiourea (T₈) showed maximum improvements in plant height (89.90 cm), dry matter accumulation (250.14 g/m row), chlorophyll content (2.29%), and yield attributes. These treatments also recorded the highest grain yield (4732 kg/ha), biological yield (11,442 kg/ha), and harvest index (41.36%). Net returns (Rs. 80,786/ha) and benefit-cost ratio (2.35) were also superior under thiourea foliar spray compared to control (Rs. 52,740/ha; 1.34 B:C). Kinetin application (T₅, T₇, T₉) also improved growth and productivity but was slightly inferior to thiourea treatments. The study concluded that thiourea, particularly in foliar application or in combination with seed soaking, is a highly effective bioregulator in wheat for enhancing physiological traits, productivity, and profitability. These findings support the integration of plant bioregulators into wheat production strategies to optimize resource use efficiency and improve food security