The efficiency of the spring wheat production process depending on the seeding rate in the arid zone of Mongolia

Abstract

The paper presents the experience of assessing the efficiency of the spring wheat production process depending on the seeding rate in the arid zone of Mongolia. The research was conducted in 2017 at the experimental field of PROLOG SYSTEMS LLC (Mongolia). The experiment used different norms of wheat varieties Novosibirskaya 15. Arable chestnut soils for land use in PROLOG SYSTEMS LLC have the light granulometric composition, characterized by a shortage of productive moisture and a low level of potential fertility. Low availability of humus, alkaline reaction, very low availability of mobile phosphorus, low-exchange potassium significantly reduce the productivity of the company’s fields. The evaluation of wheat biometric indicators revealed the dependence of plant height, spikelets number in the ear and productive bushiness on the seeding rate. A lower seeding rate in the arid zone of Mongolia reduces species competition between plants before the bushiness phase, but increases it in later phases of plant development due to the increased productive bushiness. Also, crops of wheat varieties Novosibirskaya 15 in Mongolia with an optimal seeding rate of 140-180 kg/ha had more intensive growth, maximum yield and minimum lodging compared with a higher seeding rate of 210-230 kg/ha. The decrease in the seeding rate is permissible in hot and arid conditions of Mongolia, while the presence of productive moisture in the spring period will be a determining factor.