Response of selected species of winter wheat on the sowing date

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out in 2005–2007 in The Experimental Farm Felin, University of Agriculture, Lublin. It was aimed at evaluating the influence of two sowing dates, optimum and delayed (by 2 weeks), on yielding, yield structure elements, and selected qualitative parameters of grains of winter wheat: spelt (Triticum spelta L.), durum (Triticum durum Desf.), and common (Triticum aestivum L.). The delay of the sowing date reduced the yielding of spelt, durum, and common wheat yielding by 17.3% on average. It mainly resulted from a significant decrease of the number of ears from wheat sown in a late date. Winter wheat sown in an optimum date produced grain with considerably larger density in loose form as compared to that sown with a 2-weeks delay. The yield of spelt was lower by 9.2% as compared to common wheat. Durum wheat yielded significantly worse than spelt and common wheat by 14.5% and 22.4%, respectively, due to a considerable lower number of ears. Grain of durum wheat was characterized by the highest vitreosity, while the lowest value of that trait was recorded for spelt grain.