Investigating trititrigia cultivation in a semiarid zone

Abstract

Over the course of several years of meticulous selection, The Tsitsin Main Moscow Botanical Garden of Academy of Sciences, successfully cultivated a novel trititrigia crop, characterized as a hybrid between wheat and couch grass. The intrinsic potential of this crop, as highlighted by the authors, instigated a keen interest in its investigation. (Research purpose) To conduct research on the cultivation of trititrigia Pamyati Lyubimovoy (In Memory of Lyubimova) in the semi-arid southern zone of the Rostov region. (Materials and methods) Trititrigia was cultivated on typical chernozem soil with carbonate content, characterized by heavy loamy texture, in conditions of insufficient and unstable moisture, following the zonal technology for cultivating winter wheat. The main pre-sowing tillage was performed using a shallow method by a combined KUM-4 unit. For seed sowing, the «Demetra» selective seeder was used. Throughout the trials from October 2020 to August 2022, meteorological conditions were taken into account, including precipitation levels and air temperature. Using two crops as examples, the biometric data of trititrigia plants, yield structure elements, combine yield and drought resistance were studied. (Results and discussion) It is determined that trititrigia Pamyati Lyubimovoy (In Memory of Lyubimova) aligns with the declared parameters in terms of plant height, ear length, and duration of the vegetative period. The plant development type of trititrigia is identical to winter wheat. (Conclusions) It is established that trititrigia Pamyati Lyubimovoy (In Memory of Lyubimobva) shows low resistance to drought within a semi-arid climate. Additionally, the straw yield surpasses the grain yield by a factor of four, while the weight of 1000 grains is low at 23.58 grams. Moreover, the combine yield (3.80 tons per hectares) falls short compared to the winter wheat variety Stanichnaya (5.09 tons per hectares). Further investigations into trititrigia within a semi-arid climate are considered necessary to determine its cultivation feasibility.