Work

Yield and Quality Parameters of Winter Wheat in a Wheat–Pea Mixed Cropping System

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Modern agriculture is based on plant specialization, where the decrease in biodiversity makes vulnerable of our cultivated crops against climate change and the fluctuated market demands. Mixed cropping is a planned diversity in space, which is a powerful tool to conserving soil fertility. Our experiment was carried out in three growing seasons (2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023) with the combination of three winter wheat varieties (GK Szilárd, Cellule, GK Csillag) and a winter pea variety (Aviron) in four repeats and three seeding rates to determine yield and quality parameters (protein, gluten, Zeleny index, W-value) of wheat. Yield varied every year: The highest value was provided by the 50:100 mixture of GK Csillag/Aviron in 2021 (pure stands + 24%), then it gradually decreased in the following years. In terms of protein, Zeleny index and W-value, the Cellule/Aviron 50:100 achieved outstanding values, while in 2022 was preferred GK Szilárd/Aviron 50:100 combination. We verified a statistical difference between the wheat varieties in the case of gluten (in each year) in favor of GK Csillag/Cellule/GK Csillag and for the W-value (in 2021) in favor of Cellule. Plant density and seeding rate determined the final crop proportion within the mixture and indirectly affected yield quantity and quality.

Source: Agronomy

DOI: 10.3390/agronomy15092082