Influence of seeding rates on productive qualities of winter triticale in the foothill zone conditions

. The article presents the results of experimental studies of the influence of seeding rates on the productivity of winter triticale. Depending on the variety and seeding rate, field germination ranged from 63.4 to 75.7%. Higher field germination is characterised by the winter triticale variety Zimogor from 69.4 to 75.7%. Based on the results of the research, it can be concluded that the fineness of the spike and the weight of the grain depended on the seeding rate. Increase in seeding rate led to a reliable increase in productivity of all three varieties of winter triticale. The highest yield was obtained at a seeding rate of 5 million seeds/ha of germinated seeds, and the lowest - at a seeding rate of 3 million pieces/ha. Consequently, according to the results of our research, we can conclude that the difference in yield between the variants of the experiment was determined by the ear fineness and weight of grain in it (to a less extent), and mainly determined by the number of plants preserved at the time of harvesting. The highest productivity was characterised by the Zimogor variety with a seeding rate of 5 million seeds/ha. On average, its biological yield was 7.60 tonnes/ha. The yield of the Kapriz and Valentin 90 varieties was significantly lower by 1.46 t/ha and 0.70 t/ha, respectively.


Introduction
In North Ossetia, as in other parts of the country, the intensification of agricultural production is already yielding excellent results.In recent years, in connection with the spread of a new winter crop -triticale -the search for ways to improve the economically valuable features and properties of cultivated varieties of this crop, as well as the specifics of their potential manifestations, has been underway [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15].In solving this problem, an important role is given to increasing the yield and production of grain crops, including winter triticale.Winter triticale is attracting more and more attention of livestock breeders and specialists in animal nutrition as a new fodder crop [3,14].
Many breeders see triticale as the future bread crop, as its yield potential is much higher than that of all existing cereal grains.Its high protein content and high palatability make triticale one of the best forage crops.The lush and abundant foliage makes amphidiploid very suitable for use in green feed and silage [1,8].
Thus, increasing the yield and grain quality of winter triticale requires, along with the development of new high-yielding varieties, the development of a more perfect system of organisational and agrotechnical measures aimed at creating favourable conditions for plant growth and development, preventing the death of crops from adverse environmental factors, protecting plants from diseases and pests, and reducing losses at harvest [4,10,13].
One of these agrotechnical requirements is the observance of seeding standards, as the grain yield and its quality are influenced by the sowing density.Therefore, under production conditions, when planting grain crops, it is advisable to observe this stand density, which provides the highest grain yield [2,5].
The yield value is known to be determined by the number of productive stems per square metre and the weight of grain from one ear.Rare breadfruit cannot provide a high yield, and in dense crops grain is formed stubby, with reduced physical and sowing qualities.Therefore, as the seed seeding rate increases, the yield of winter triticale increases until the optimum densification is reached, after which the yield decreases with its further increase [7,12].
The optimal seeding rate should be different, and it largely depends on soil and climatic conditions, especially on soil moisture availability, increasing as we move from the north of the country to the south, from arid to wetter areas [6,9].
In the event of delayed winter triticale sowing, the seeding rate should be increased, and in the event of early sowing -reduced [11,15].
Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate and determine the optimal seeding rates for obtaining high yields of winter triticale with improved quantitative indicators.

Methods and Materials
Experiments on winter triticale samples were conducted in 2019-2020 on the experimental fields of the North-Caucasian Research Institute of Agricultural Research and Development of the All-Russian Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
On the experimental field of the State Scientific Institution of the North Caucasian Research Institute of Agriculture, experiments with 3 seeding rates of three varieties of winter triticale with the number of 3, 4 and 5 million germinated seeds were laid.The studied varieties: Valentin 90 (control), Zimogor and Kapriz.
The sowing method was row sowing.The sowing dates were the first decade of October.The size of plots -3 m 2 , in a threefold repetition, the total area of sowing was 90 m 2 .
During the study the following observations and records were carried out: phenological observations date of sowing, sprouting, emergence into the tube, earing, flowering (according to the methodology of the State variety testing of agricultural crops).
Full technological evaluation of seed material was carried out in the laboratory of the North Caucasian Research Institute of Agricultural Research and Development according to the scientific methodology.
Field germination of agricultural plants, first of all, is determined by the amount of moisture in the upper layer of soil.Sowing of winter triticale was carried out on 17.09.10,after 25.8 mm of precipitation fell in the first decade of the month.On the day of sowing the amount of productive moisture in the soil layer was 28.2 mm.Another 2.6 mm of precipitation fell before the end of the month.Their total amount in September was 28.4 mm.Sufficient amount of soil and atmospheric moisture, as well as average daily air temperatures kept within 8 ºC, ensured friendly and uniform emergence of winter triticale plants.
Completeness of sprouting of different varieties of winter triticale is presented in Table 1.Preservation of plants at the moment of the beginning of vegetation was within the range from 96.3 to 98.2%, i.e. the percentage of plant death during the winter period ranged from 1.8 to 3.7%.

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The period of spring-summer vegetation of crops took place under conditions of insufficient moisture availability.Therefore, starting from May and especially in June, death of winter triticale plants was observed.The greatest death of overwintered plants was characterised by 2 winter triticale varieties: Kapriz and Valentin 90.The percentage of plant death in Kapriz varied from 37.5% at a seeding rate of 3 million seeds/ha of germinated seeds to 41.7% at a seeding rate of 5 million pieces/ha of germinated seeds.In the Valentin variety, plant death was 35.4 and 41.6%, respectively.The highest plant safety at the time of harvesting was observed in Zimogor variety.The percentage of plant death in this variety at a seeding rate of 5 million pieces/ha of germinated seeds was 34.1%, at 4 million pieces/ha -30.7 and at a seeding rate of 3 million seeds/ha -23.8%.
It follows from the results of our research that productivity depended on both seeding rate and variety.During the whole period of observations, the highest yield of grain mass was characterised by the variety Zimogor (Table 2).On average, its yield was 7.60 t/ha, which was 1.46 t/ha more than that of Valentin 90 and 0.70 t/ha more than that of Kapriz.There was a direct correlation between seeding rate and grain yield.
Increase in seeding rate led to a reliable increase in productivity of all three varieties of winter triticale.The highest yield was obtained at a seeding rate of 5 million pieces/ha of germinated seeds, and the lowest -at a seeding rate of 3 million pieces/ha.
The level of yield explains the analysis of yield structure.
Analysing the obtained data, we can conclude that the difference in the yield of grain mass of the compared varieties of winter triticale was determined mainly by the density of productive stalks.At the same time, the number of preserved plants at the time of harvesting was of decisive importance, as there were no significant differences in the productive tillering coefficient.Table 3 shows that winter triticale variety Zimogor had the highest productivity, productive bushiness varied from 1.5 at a seeding rate of 3 million seeds/ha of germinated seeds to 1.3 at a seeding rate of 5 million seeds/ha of germinated seeds.Productive bushiness of plants in the less productive variety Valentin 90 varied from 1.2 at a seeding rate of 5 million seeds/ha of germinated seeds to 1.4 at a seeding rate of 3 million seeds/ha.
The difference in the number of surviving plants was more significant.In the variety Zimogor, characterised by the highest grain yield, the number of plants at the time of harvesting at a seeding rate of 3 million seeds/ha of germinated seeds averaged 136 pieces/m², at a seeding rate of 4 million -162 and at a seeding rate of 5 million -183 seeds/m².In the most unproductive variety Valentin 90 the number of preserved plants was 108 seeds/m², 129, 149 seeds/m², or 28 seeds/m², 33 and 34 seeds/m² less than in Zimogor variety.
It is well known that the yield depends on the two main indicators -the density of productive stalks and the weight of grain per ear.
These two components of yield are generalising indicators.The density of the productive stalk depends on the number of plants per 1 m² and tillering coefficient.The weight of grain in an ear is determined by its fineness.
According to the results of the research we can conclude that the ear fineness and grain weight in it depended on the seeding rate.Increase in seeding rate led to a slight decrease in the weight of grain in the ear and a decrease in its graininess.
There was an insignificant difference in ear fineness and grain weight between the compared varieties.Zimogor variety was characterised by the highest ear ripeness.At a seeding rate of 3 million seeds/ha of germinated seeds was 29.8 pieces, at a rate of 4 million -29.0, and at a rate of 5 million -28.7 pieces.Spikelet fineness of Kapriz variety was slightly lower and was 26.4,26.3 and 25.9 pieces, respectively (Table 4).The highest grain weight in the ear was also noted in the variety Zimogor, at a seeding rate of 3 million seeds/ha of germinated seeds the grain weight in the spike was 2.37 g, at a rate of 4 million -2.00 and at a rate of 5 million -1.90 g.
Winter triticale variety distinguished itself by the lowest ear fineness and grain weight in it: Valentin 90.In this variety, ear greenness at a seeding rate of 3 million seeds/ha of germinated seeds averaged 27.0 pcs.and decreased to 25.4 pcs. at a seeding rate of 5 million.The grain weight in the ear decreased from 1.70 to 1.51 g.
Consequently, according to the results of our research, we can conclude that the difference in yield between the variants of the experiment was determined by the ear fineness and grain weight in it (to a lesser extent), and mainly determined by the number of plants preserved at the time of harvesting.Thinned crops give large, fulfilled grain.
5. The highest lakeiness and high grain weight in the ear was found in the Zimogor variety.At a seeding rate of 3 million seeds/ha, germinated seeds were 29.8 pieces, at a rate of 4 million -29.0, and at a rate of 5 million -28.7 pieces.Grain weight in ear was 2.37 g, at norm 4 million -2.00 and at norm 5 million -1.90 g.

Table 1 .
Depending on the variety and seeding rate, field germination varied from 63.4 % to 75.7 %.Higher field germination is characterised by winter triticale variety Zimogor from 69.4 % to 75.7 %.The lowest field germination was characterised by the variety Valentin 90.The field germination of this variety varied from 63.4 % to 70.7 %.Plant stand density of the studied winter triticale varieties

Table 2 .
Biological yield of winter triticale depending on seeding rates

Table 3 .
Biometric indicators of winter triticale plants

Table 4 .
Elements of winter triticale yield structure