UDC 633.11«324»+631.81.095.337
DOI 10.36461/NP.2025.75.3.016

WINTER WHEAT PRODUCTIVITY WITH FOLIAR APPLICATION OF MICROFERTILIZERS AND RETARDANTS IN THE FOREST-STEPPE ZONE OF THE VOLGA REGION
A.S. Shcherbakov, Postgraduate;
S.V. Bogomazov, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor
Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "Penza State Agrarian University", Penza, Russia, tel. +79004682721, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The article presents the results of three years of field research (2022–2024) conducted at the educational and experimental farm "Ramzai" of Penza State Agrarian University. The study examined the effect of combined applications of microelement fertilizers and retardant-type growth regulators on the productivity, grain quality, and economic efficiency of cultivating the winter wheat variety Bezostaya 100. The research was carried out as a two-factor experiment: factor A was foliar treatment with microfertilizers (Ultramag Combi, Aquamix ST, Go drip Micro), and factor B was treatment with growth regulators (HEFK, Moddus, Constando). The results showed that the agricultural techniques studied had a statistically significant effect on crop formation and grain quality indicators. The highest yield (4.94 t/ha) was obtained with the combination of Aquamix ST microfertilizer and HEFK growth regulator, exceeding the control by 0.53 t/ha. Application of the Eberhart-Russell method revealed differentiated ecological plasticity among the variants: combinations with Aquamix ST demonstrated increased responsiveness under favorable conditions (bi = 1.10–1.16), while variants with Go drip Micro showed stability under stressful conditions (bi = 0.88–0.92). Regarding grain quality, the greatest effectiveness was observed when Ultramag Combi and Constando were used together, with raw gluten content reaching 24.0%. A negative correlation was found between protein content and yield (R = -0.84). Economic analysis confirmed the high profitability of the agricultural techniques used, reaching 102.6% in the variant with the combined use of Aquamix ST and Constando. The results indicate the potential of the combined application of microelement fertilizers and growth regulators to increase the efficiency of winter wheat production in the forest-steppe conditions of the Middle Volga region.
Keywords: winter wheat, microelement fertilizers, retardants, yield, grain quality, ecological plasticity, economic efficiency.

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