Effects of Plant Protection Strategies on Morphological Traits, Grain Yield and Grain Quality of Winter Wheat

The study evaluated the effects of plant protection strategies on morphological traits, yield components, grain yield and quality of winter wheat (‘Kometus’). A three-year field experiment (2016–2018) was conducted in Taiding, Germany, in a randomised complete block design. Six strategies were compared with an untreated control: two or three fungicide applications (F2, F3); two or three applications of PlanTonic (PT2, PT3); three combined applications of PlanTonic and the amino acid preparation Natural Crop SL (PT3+NC3); and three applications of the multicomponent preparation Vita-mix (V3). The effects of year and protection strategy were significant, with responses varying among seasons. F3 produced the highest grain yields in 2016, 2017 and 2018 (9.32, 11.46 and 9.55 t ha⁻¹, respectively), although in 2018 yields did not differ signifi-cantly from those under F2, V3 or the control. PT3 increased yield compared with the control in 2016 and 2017 and produced the highest wet gluten content in 2016 and 2018, as well as the highest protein content in 2016. V3 produced yields comparable to intensive fungicide protection in 2017 and the highest grain protein content in 2018. Resistance-enhancing preparations show potential, but their effectiveness depends on growing-season conditions.