Improvement of Weeds Management System and Fertilisers Application in Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Cultivation Technologies

Abstract Wheat production plays a central role in the Russian agricultural system and significant land area is dedicated to this strategic crop. However, the wheat enterprise is highly constrained by weed interference which cause serious yield losses hence minimizing production income. The main objective of the study was to assess the efficacy of three various cultivation technologies as basic, intensive, and highly intensive systems on wheat biological efficiency. Three weed species Echinochloa crus-galli, Stellaria media, and Viola arvensis, and three winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties Moscovskaya 40 (V1), Nemchinovskaya 17 (V2) and Nemchinovskaya 85 (V3) were studied. The data was analysed as a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Weed density, biological efficiency, yield performances, and selected qualitative parameters (measured through protein and gluten contents) were determined as affected by different cultivation technologies. The results showed that the high intensive cultivation technology (T3) was the most effective in reducing weed infestation levels as follows (0.3 plant/m2 Echinochloa crus-galli, 0.5 plant/m2 Stellaria media and 0.4 plant/m2 Viola arvensis) with biological efficiency of 96%, while 81% and 90% were recorded with basic and intensive cultivation system respectively. Moreover, the highest wheat yield 10.6 t/ha was obtained by T3, with the greatest grain quality 5% higher than basic cultivation technology designated in T1. The results were variety-dependent revealing the intrinsic genetic performances and the different patterns of high competitive ability. The current results open real opportunities concerning the implementation of potent wheat production systems.