Assessment of Control Impacts on Winter Wheat Productivity under Changing Agroclimatic Resources: A Case Study for the Rostov Oblast

Abstract

The results of implementing a method for assessing the efficiency of the water reclamation and the regime of crop nutrition for 17 districts of the Rostov oblast in various weather conditions are presented. For the first time, the predominant soil type under winter wheat within the district and the corresponding soil characteristics have been determined as input data for the Climate–Soil–Yield system using the digital version of the Soil Map of the Russian Federation (1988). The estimated recourses for providing the wheat production with water and mineral nutrition for 2010–2020 range from 40 to 69% in the Millerovo district and from 73 to 85% in the Zernograd district. In the years with a relatively small yield potential, the level of mineral nutrition resources is high, which is caused by a decrease in the nutrient limitation effect, since radiation and thermal factors limit the maximum biomass and, consequently, the maximum uptake of nutrients by crops. Under adverse weather conditions, an increase in wheat yields is observed when complex melioration is carried out.