ALTERNATIVES OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT TO ENHANCE GRAIN YIELD FROM WHEAT CROPS

This study aims to evaluate chemical and biological management alternatives to enhance the grain yield of wheat crops, based on the evaluation of the crop's productivity components. The experiment was conducted in 2022, under field conditions, at Escola Fazenda of UNIJUÍ (Regional University of Northwestern Rio Grande do Sul), located in the municipality of Augusto Pestana, Brazil. The experimental design used was randomized blocks with an 8 x 9 factorial scheme, with eight wheat cultivars (TBIO Audaz, TBIO Ponteiro, TBIO Trunfo, TBIO Toruk, TBIO Astro, ORS Madrepérola, ORS Agile and BRS Belajoia) and nine management protocols, arranged in two repetitions. At full physiological maturity, the following agronomic traits were measured: number of grains on the cob; cob grain weight; thousand grain weight; and grain yield. Analysis of variance took place to detect the effects of cultivar, management protocols and their interaction on the analyzed variables. The Duncan test was used to compare treatment means, at 5% probability. The use of BOMBARDEIRO as a reinforcement to the chemical fungicide promoted an increase in the thousand grain weight. The highest values for grain yield were obtained with the protocols BIOASIS+BIOEQUILÍBRIO+BIOFREE, BIOTRIO and ORKESTRA SC, for the genotypes TBIO Toruk, TBIO Ponteiro and TBIO Trunfo. The use of biological management in wheat crops enhances nutrient absorption and acts synergistically with chemical fungicides, contributing to increased productivity and sustainable management.