Adaptive techniques for increasing yields and drought resistance of winter wheat in the southern regions of the Non-Chernozem zone of the Russian Federation

Abstract

In the south of the Non-Chernozem zone of Russia, winter wheat is the leading food crop; the area under winter wheat in 2025 was 15.81 million ha but the yielding capacity was far from potentially possible which was largely due to the lack of moisture and excessive temperature conditions during the growing season. The research goal was to develop adaptive techniques for increasing the drought resistance of winter wheat. The effectiveness of the use of growth promoters to increase the drought resistance of winter wheat of the Turanus variety was studied in a field experiment. The elements of the yield formula were determined according to the State Variety Testing Methodology. The economic yield of winter wheat was determined during harvesting using the RSM 161 combine harvester. The drought resistance was assessed by the conventional indices. On three-year average, the use of adaptive techniques in winter wheat growing contributed to increased number of plants by the time of harvest. The application of growth promoters, Siliplant in particular, increased this indicator by 21% against all tillage backgrounds and did not have a significant effect on the kernel percentage or thousand-kernel weight. The maximum increase of biological yield was observed in the Siliplant plots which amounted to 15% compared to the control. The comprehensive analysis of drought resistance indices demonstrated that the use of growth promoters reduced the variability of winter wheat productivity under dry conditions as compared to optimal growing periods regardless of the tillage system. The analysis of the effect of agricultural practices on adaptability indices showed that the use of Tsirkon and Siliplant significantly reduced abiotic stress on winter wheat plants. The treatment of winter wheat seeds with the growth promoters increased the average yield by 0.28 t ha (Tsirkon) and by 0.56 t ha (Siliplant).