EFFECTS OF THREE PRODUCTION AND INPUT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ON THE YIELD COMPONENTS AND ECONOMICS OF SPRING WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM) VARIETIES

Prudent management and judicious use of farming inputs through the employment of efficient cultivation technologies in wheat production ensures optimum productivity and profitability of the enterprise. Three year field experiments were carried out in the period 2015-2017, so as to assess the effect of varying the levels of farming inputs on spring wheat productivity. The experimental site was Russian Research Institute of Agriculture and the experiments were executed once every year. The experimental design was split plot comprising of randomised blocks replicated three times. The main plots were designated for cultivation technology treatments whilst sub-plots were assigned to the wheat varieties (Lubova, Zelata, Liza and Ester). The highest grain yield (10.8 t/ha), gluten content (39.45%), harvest index (42.9%), and gluten index (71.17%) were noted in the wheat variety Lubova with the moderate commitment of farming inputs as an intensive cultivation technology. The two cultivation technologies, intensive and high intensive gave the highest protein content (18.2%) in the cultivar Lubova. Basic cultivation effected the highest 1,000 grain weight (46.32 g) in the variety Lubova. It is therefore inferred that moderate application of inputs as demonstrated by intensive cultivation technology leads to optimum wheat yields and high net income.