Nitrogen is a macronutrient considered as one of the important components to combat the nutritional deficiency in growth and yield-related traits, and help physiological processes in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop. The presented study sought to evaluate two Iraqi wheat cultivars (Babel-113 and Bahouth-10) in integration with three nitrogen fertilizer (NF) levels (50, 75, and 100 kg N ha^-1), carried out in 2022–2023 at the Al-Hashimiya Agriculture Directorate, Hilla City, Iraq. The study proceeded in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) using a split-plot arrangement, with two factors and three replications. The results showed wheat cultivar Babel-113 was significantly better than the other cultivar Bahouth-10 in all studied traits. Cultivar Babel-113 performed better in traits, germination ratio, germination speed, plant height, leaf area, spikes number, grains per spike, 1000-grain weight, and grain yield (88.39%, 84.49%, 91.40 cm, 31.45 cm², 469, 92.07, 51.34 g, and 5.226 t ha^-1, respectively). The NF with the highest dose (100 kg N ha^-1) proved significantly superior to two other lower doses (50 and 75 kg N ha^-1) in all studied traits. Wheat cultivars (Babel-113 and Bahouth- 10) combined with the nitrogen fertilizer 100 kg N ha^-1 showed the best performance than all other interactions.

Keywords: Wheat (T. aestivum L.), cultivars, nitrogen fertilizer, sprinkler irrigation, germination ratio, growth and yield traits

Key findings: The results showed wheat (T. aestivum L.) cultivars Babel-113 and Bahouth-10 combined with NF 100 kg N ha^-1 performed better for all the traits. However, cultivar Babel-113 was leading compared with Bahouth-10 for growth and yield traits.