Sowing time of winter crops in the Donbass due to weather and climate changes

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to clarify the optimal sowing time of wheat and winter barley after non-fallow forecrops (spring barley and sunflower) due to weather and climate changes. The trials were carried out during 2018–2022 on ordinary blackearth. The experiments, records and observations were carried out according to generally accepted methods. There has been established that at early sowing date (September 10), wheat and barley formed up to 5.4 tillering sprouts, from 2.4 to 6.2 nodal roots, plant height reached 22.1–27.9 cm with a plant weight of 174–223 g/m2, which indicated the overgrowth of plants. At a late sowing date (October 20), the tillering coefficient of wheat plants did not exceed 1.0–1.5, the number of nodal roots was 1.1–2.4, and the weight reached 32–58 g/m2.Barley plants at late sowing periods had significant developmental advantages compared to wheat. At the time of the termination of the autumn vegetation, they had an average of 1.5–2.0 sprouts and 2.5–3.1 nodal roots, and the above-ground mass was 2.0 times larger than that of wheat. In spring, winter barley plants grew and developed more intensively. Wheat productivity during early sowing date (10.09 and 20.09) was larger than that of barley by 7.5–27.0%. When sowing later, on the contrary, winter barley productivity was more on 7.0–14.8%. The optimal sowing time for winter wheat at which the maximum grain yield (4.17–4.32 t/ha) can be formed is the period from September 20 to October 1, and from 1 to 10 October for winter barley (4.37–4.48 t/ha).