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WHEAT

Winter Wheat Cultivar Performance as Affected by Production Systems in Croatia

Boris Varga, Zlatko Svenjak^* and Ana Pospisil

Dep. of Field Crops, Forage, and Grassl., Faculty of Agric. Univ. of Zagreb, Svetosimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

* Corresponding author (svecnjak{at}agr.hr)

Received for publication October 13, 2000. The use of intensive production systems (IPS) may substantially increase winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yields in Croatia because the national average yield of 4.14 t ha^-1 is low compared with the yield potential of currently grown cultivars. Field experiments were conducted during 1996 through 1998 to evaluate the agronomic responses of 15 modern cultivars grown at two seeding rates (440 and 770 seeds m^-2) in both an IPS and an extensive production system (EPS). The IPS consisted of plowing at 30 to 32 cm; fertilization at 194, 130, and 130 kg ha^-1 N, P, and K; and high input of crop protection chemicals. The EPS involved plowing at 20 to 22 cm; fertilization at 59, 104, and 104 kg ha^-1 N, P, and K; and less effective herbicide application. Grain yields significantly increased in the IPS and averaged 7840 kg ha^-1 compared with 5910 kg ha^-1 for the EPS. This difference was due to a 16.8 and 19.6% increase in spike number and kernel number per spike, respectively, while 1000-kernel weight for the IPS decreased by 6.0% compared with the EPS. Higher seeding rate maximized grain yields in both production systems except for one growing season in the IPS, primarily due to improved spike number. Cultivars responded similarly to seeding rates regardless of the production system. A significant interaction between cultivars and the two production systems was found because some cultivars were highly responsive to the IPS while others were not. Thus, cultivar selection is an important consideration for Croatian farmers when they decide to adopt the IPS.

Abbreviations: EPS, extensive production system • IPS, intensive production system