The effect of sowing time on the yield of some wheat varieties

Abstract

It frequently occurs that due to unfavorable climatic factors, sowing is not carried out at the optimum time so that the sowing must be done in the delayed sowing period. The aim of our research was to determine the yield and some qualitative components of several wheat varieties sown at the optimum time and in the delayed sowing time. The experiments were carried out in 2016/17 and 2017/18, in the area of Southern Serbia (Leskovac) with 5 wheat varieties (Opsesija, Avenue, Sosthene, Farinelli, and Darija), under the same agro-ecological conditions on alluvium soil. Sowing in 2016/17 was done on October 30th, and in 2017/18 on December 8th. According to the results of the experiments, it can be concluded that the grain moisture, 1000 grain weight, and hectolitre weight did not differ significantly between sowing terms, while there were significant differences among the varieties. The grain yield varied significantly, both depending on the sowing term and the wheat variety. The average decrease in yield in the delayed term compared to the optimal term was 24.8%. Thus, in the optimal term sowing varieties Avenue and Farinelli had the highest yields (7,760 and 7,170 kg ha-1), while in the delayed time sowing varieties Darija and Avenue had the highest yields (5,370 and 5,290 kg ha-1). The Darija variety had the least decrease in yield in the delayed sowing time, so we can recommend it for sowing in this area in the delayed term.