EFFECT OF LONG -TERM FERTILIZATION AND SOIL AMENDMENTS ON YIELD, GRAIN QUALITY AND NUTRITION OPTIMIZATION IN WINTER WHEAT ON AN ACIDIC PSEUDOGLEY

Abstract

About 60% of wheat fields in Central Serbia have a soil pH below 5.5. Therefore, increasing and maintaining crop yields require periodic use of soil amendment practices (liming, phosphorus treatment and humification), along with fertilization. This study was conducted over a period of five years (2007-2011) on a pseudogley soil to evaluate the effect of different fertilization methods and liming on grain yield, yield components and grain quality in three winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars. Results showed a significant effect of weather conditions on grain yield and quality in winter wheat. The combined use of NPK fertilizers (120 kg N ha(-1), 100 kg P2O5 ha(-1), 60 kg K2O ha(-1)), lime (5 t ha(-1) CaCO3) and manure (20 t ha(-1)) led to a drastic reduction in Al levels in the grain (by over 10 mg kg(-1)), and positively affected grain yield and yield components in winter wheat. Less favorable agro-meteorological conditions and combined organic and mineral fertilization positively affected grain protein concentration in all winter wheat cultivars analyzed.