International winter wheat yield trials in semi-arid and irrigated conditions of Uzbekistan

Global climate change is leading to water shortages in irrigated areas. This, in turn, requires the selection of crop varieties that are resistant to arid conditions. Thirty varieties of winter soft wheat from the international nursery IWWYT-SA were evaluated under water-deficient conditions. The selection was based on parameters such as grain yield, biomass, growing season, yield components, and yield index. Most of the samples analyzed showed good results under water deficit conditions (without irrigation), with yields ranging from 4 to 5 tons per hectare. In all samples, plant height was average, ranging from 90 to 100 cm, with a biomass of 1600 g/m² and an average of 550 spikelets per square meter. The average weight of a thousand grains was 37.9 grams, although some samples showed significantly lower values. The average harvest index was about 30. Ten promising genotypes were selected for further propagation and implementation in relatively arid areas of the republic.