Effect of Fertilizers and Arid Conditions on the Yield of Spring Soft Wheat in Different Zones of the Kurgan Region

In experiments conducted in the Kurgan region for 58 years at the Central Experimental Field, the effect of fertilizers and various types of drought on the yield of spring soft wheat was shown. With prolonged drought during the entire growing season, wheat productivity in crop rotation without fallow and fertilizer decreased to 40% of the grain harvest in humid years, with June drought – up to 71% and July – up to 80%. Fertilizers played a positive role in all types of drought, but their effect during droughts was 2–3 times less than in humid years. The lack of moisture had a stronger effect on the formation of wheat yields in the medium-loamy soil of the Central Experimental field compared with the heavy-loamy soils of the Makushinsky and Shadrinsky fields. In dry years, there was a more noticeable decrease in yield in crops far from fallow compared to the first field after fallow. Fertilizer in drought more often had a positive effect on the laying of grains in the ear than on the number of productive stems and the size of the grain harvest. Among the signs of wheat quality, lack of moisture reduced the weight of 1000 grains, but increased the accumulation of gluten in grain and flour both without fertilizers and against the background of N40P20 application. The dose of N20P20, increasing the yield, had little effect on the quality of wheat grain.