Enhancing the performance of ethephon with mepiquat chloride on barley (Hordeum distichon cV. Panda) using an adjuvant comprising acidified soyal phospholipid

SUMMARY Rates of ethephon with mepiquat chloride (as ‘Terpal’) were foliar applied to winter barley during early flag leaf emergence with or without soyal lecithin acidified with proprionic acid included as an adjuvant (‘LI700’). In both the glasshouse and field increasing the rate of ‘Terpal’ decreased the rate of stem extension exponentially, which in turn led to progressively shorter stands. As crop height extended above 0.9 m both the proportion of crop area lodged and the severity of lodging (mean angle of culms to the vertical) increased. As lodging progressed, mean grain weight was depressed and therefore ethephon with mepiquat chloride had the potential to increase yield. However, in the absence of lodging, applications of ‘Terpal’ reduced yield in direct proportion to increasing the dose rate. The influence of ‘Terpal’ on yield becomes a complex interaction between phytotoxicity, probably resulting from exogenous ethylene applications and benefits accruing from the control of lodging. Adding ‘LI700’ as an adjuvant enhanced the performance of ‘Terpal’ in reducing both rate of stem extension and mean grain weight in the absence of lodging.