Effect of the next-generation stimulants on the yielding capacity of winter wheat in moisture deficit conditions

In the conditions of the Stavropol Krai arid region the single nutrient fertilizer treatment of winter wheat does not always justify the costs expended due to the moisture deficit during the growing season. In this regard, one of current promising areas is the additional combined use of chemical fertilizers, growth-stimulating agents and micronutrients intended for seed and vegetative plant treatment. In 2018–2020 a research was conducted into the effect of the VL 77 growth stimulants and the Orakul Semena, Orakul Multikompleks, and Orakul Sera Activ micronutrient complexes at different growth and development stages during winter wheat cultivation in the volatile weather conditions of the Stavropol Krai arid region. The research establishes the effectiveness of the combined use of the next-generation stimulants during winter wheat cultivation on chestnut soils in the conditions of the Stavropol Krai arid region. The highest yield of the Idilliya winter wheat variety (4.68 t/ha) was achieved by initially dressing the seeds with the VL 77 growth stimulants combined with the Orakul Semena micronutrient complex and treating the seeds with the VL 77 growth stimulants in combination with the Orakul Multikompleks micronutrient complex during the spring growth resumption period. The second treatment of vegetative plants during the flag leaf stage stimulated their growth, but moisture deficit reduced the yields by 2.3%. Still, the yields obtained exceeded the test yields by 4.3%. On average, during the three years of research the growth stimulant and micronutrient complex treatment boosted the yielding capacity in moisture deficit conditions by 4.6–5.1%. The cost effectiveness concurrently increased from 66.0% to 89.0%.