Biological technologies are the factors of winter wheat productivity improvement

Abstract

The studies were conducted in 2012–2014 in OOO “Znamenskoe” in the Znamensky district of the Orlov region in order to determine the influence of forecrops on winter wheat productivity. Field trials have shown that the forecrops have a great effect on soil moisture. The use of weedfree fallow and oil radish as green manure crop provides 1.3–3% soil moisture increase in the 0–10 cm layer before winter wheat sowing compared with annual grasses. Sown in bare fallow, winter wheat infestation was on 17.6–18.8% less in the tillering phase compared with the use of oil radish oil as green manure crop and annual grasses for green mass. It was determined that the forecops had an effect on the height of winter wheat plants. In weedfree fallow it was the maximum (122.7–127.1 cm), depending on the fertilizing ratio, which was on 8.0–10.3 cm more than in other variants of the trial. It was established that winter wheat sown in bare fallow exceeded other variants by the number of productive stems, kernels per ear, 1000-kernel weight on 2.1–7.2; 1.7–4.4; 13.9–19.5% respectively. This ensured a higher productivity of winter wheat. It has been identified that the use of oil radish improves the winter wheat quality, namely protein and gluten content, grain unit on 2.0–2.2, 1.4–2.2; 11–12.5 g/l respectively. The norm of mineral fertilizers N98R64K64 in comparison with N66R32K32 in all forecrops provided an increase in protein and gluten content on 0.4–0.7% and 0.7–2.6% respectively. Thus, biological technologies provide productivity improvement of winter wheat.