Effect of tillage and macronutrients application on the quantitative and qualitative parameters of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) under semi-arid conditions of Southern Russia 

Tillage system and macronutrients are the many emerging farming issues that are addressed in contemporary cropping systems. In this regard, selection of a promising high-yielding variety of winter soft wheat was considered. The effects of basic tillage practices (Moldboard ploughing, Flat cutting ploughing and Disk ploughing) in combination with the different fertilization (Fertilizer-free, N90P50 and N180P100) were investigated on qualitative and quantitative parameters of winter wheat cultivar Grom under semi-arid environmental condition of southern Russia. The experimental design used in this experiment was a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The highest winter wheat Grom yield with the value of 5.3 and 5.6 t/ha was attained for Moldboard ploughing and Flat cutting ploughing at a depth of 20-22 cm combined with application of nutrients N180P100, respectively. On the other hand, the lowest grain yield (2.78 t/ha) was achieved in fertilizer-free treatment in combination with Disk ploughing 12-14 cm depth. Moldboard ploughing plus nutrient application N180P100 had the best results on leaf area (48.2 thousand m2/ha), photosynthetic potential (million m2 × day/ha) and dry biomass (10.1 t/ha).
