Yield and Quality of Winter Durum Wheat Grain Depending on the Fertiliser System

Abstract

At present, winter durum wheat is grown after its unpaired predecessors. Under such conditions, fertiliser is important. Therefore, the study of the yield formation and quality of winter durum wheat grain depending on the fertiliser system is relevant. The purpose of this study was to investigate the yield formation and quality of winter durum wheat grain under various fertiliser systems. The study was conducted in conditions of a stationary field experiment of the Uman National University of Horticulture, located in the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine during 2020–2021. The experiment was founded in 2011. The following crops are grown in the four-course field crop rotation: winter wheat, corn, spring barley, soybeans. The experiment scheme includes 11 variants of combinations and separate application of mineral fertilisers, including the control option without fertiliser. Grain harvest was performed by direct combining, protein content and gluten content were determined by infrared spectroscopy using Infratek 1241. Statistical data processing was performed using the STATISTICA 10 software. Yield of winter durum wheat grain significantly increased from the fertiliser. However, the effectiveness of their use varied depending on the year of study. Thus, in 2020, it increased by 1.1–1.2 times (3.9-4.1 t hа-1) with long-term use of nitrogen fertilisers alone. Long-term use of complete mineral fertiliser (N150P60K80) significantly affected the grain yield (4.3 t hа-1) compared to variant N150. In 2021, grain yields increased 1.2–1.4 times, depending on the fertiliser system. Notably, the use of N150P60K40 and N150P30K80 in terms of impact on grain yield was at the level of the variant N150P60K80. Paired combinations of fertiliser application were effective at the level of long-term application of N150P30K40. Application of N75P30K40 provided the formation of only 4% lower grain yield compared to N150P30K40. The protein and gluten content was most affected by the nitrogen component of the complete mineral fertiliser. The conducted studies confirm the high reaction of durum wheat to the use of nitrogen fertilisers. The results obtained can be used to predict the productivity of durum winter wheat depending on soil fertility