Effect of Root Aeration on Wheat Plant Performance and Seed Protein Content.

Early spring aeration of lawn loosens the soil and provides the roots with air circulation and  a greater  amount  of oxygen.  This is not practical with row crops on a large scale.  A triplicate field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of such practice on wheat plant performance , including seed protein content. Treatments included small scale, medium scale and large scale aeration, and no aeration as the control.  Seed protein content was the greatest(14.43%) for large scale aeration, followed by medium(14.1%), and small scale(14.04%), and the control(13.1%).  Grain yield benefitted from  medium and large scale aeration. If feasible, field crops may benefit from such management practice.