The impact of integrated growing system and top dressing in productivity of winter wheat

Abstract

The examination of the effects of sustainable growing systems on the grain yield of winter wheat was conducted at the research and study field "Radmilovac" of Faculty of Agriculture (44o45’ N, 20o35’ E Serbia, 130 m above mean see level). Investigations was conducted in 2016/17 and 2017/18 on the luvic chernozem soil type, in completely randomized blocks. In intergrated growing system (IGS), based on low inputs, tillage was performed using a chisel plough at 25 cm with ≥30% of maize crop residues retaining on the soil surface and the pre-sowing tillage using a disc harrow and a harrow, basic fertilization in autumn with 600 kg ha-1 NPK and top dressing in spring with 60, 120 kg ha-1 N and control treatment, without top dressing. Two common winter wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum ssp. vulgare) Ilina and Zvezdana grew in this growing system. Statistical analysis confirmed that year, variety and top dressing had a significantly greater impact on grain yield and year and top dressing on weight of 1000 grains. Interaction of year*cultivar and year*top dressing had a significant effect on investigation parameters. More favorable meteorological conditions in the first year led to obtaining statistically significantly higher grain yields (5885.56:5585.56 kg ha-1). A higher yield per unit area was found in the Ilina variety (6012.22 kg ha-1) compared to the Zvezdana variety (5458.89 kg ha-1). With increasing N dose in top dressing, the weight of 1000 grains and the grain yield of winter wheat increased in both tested varieties (5437.5; 5704.17; 6065.00 kg ha-1). An integrated cultivation system on heavier soils has less positive effects than on soils with more favorable characteristics, especially in the higher dose of N.