Wheat Cultivar Performance Under No-Till and Traditional Agriculture

Abstract

No-till (NT) is a component of conservation agriculture that can enhance resilience to climate change and reduce costs, soil erosion and fertility decline. Yields under NT can be improved by optimising crop management practices, including better adapted cultivars. To explore possibilities opened by identifying wheat cultivars better adapted to NT agriculture, eight cultivars were tested in parallel yield trials organized in South Romania, during six years, under NT after soybeans or maize and under Traditional agriculture. The average performance of cultivars under no-till agriculture was not significantly correlated with the performance under the traditional system, with correlation coefficients higher and close to significance between NT system after maize and traditional system (r=0.69) and even negative but non-significant between NT after soybeans and traditional system. Cultivars reacted differently to NT agriculture, the yield differences between NT and traditional system averaged over six years varying from -419 kg ha-1 to more than 1000 kg ha-1 . Years, Crop Management Systems and Cultivars (in this order of impact), as well as the interactions between Cultivars*Years, and Systems*Years, had significant effects on the variation of the yield differences between agricultural systems. These results underline the importance of yield testing under NT for appropriate recommendation of most suitable cultivars, and suggest that genetic progress in creating cultivars more adapted to conservation agriculture is possible.