Spring wheat

Influence of Albit on spring wheat was examined in 44 field trials in 13 regions of Russia (Altay and Primorye krais, Bryansk, Kemerovo, Kurgan, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk, Penza, Ryazan and Saratov oblasts, respublics of Buryatia and Tuva) Trials were performed in 1997-2004 on the following varieties of wheat: Altayskaya-50, Selenga, Primorskaya-39, Omskaya-20, Novosibirskaya 89, Omskaya-18, Vera, Irgina, Prokhorovka, Saratovskaya 60, Voronezhskaya-6, Kurskaya-2038, L-503, Saratovskaya 42, Saratovskaya 55, Saratovskaya 58, L-505, Kantegirskaya, Priokskaya, Voronezhskaya-10, Iren in Far East Institute of Plant Protection, Kurgan Institute of Grain Growing, Agricultural Scientific Institute of South-East, Soil Institute, Central Institute of Agrochemical Service (Pryanishnikov All-Russia Institute of Agrochemistry), Aleysk Station of Agrochemical Service, Buryatia, Kemerovo, Kurgan, Kursk, Lipetsk, Penza, Primorye, Saratov, Tuva Regional Plant Protection Stations, Karachaevo Plant Protection Station of Bryansk oblast, Ryazan State Agricultural Academy.

Averagely, according to results of all performed trials, treatment with Albit increased the yield of spring wheat by 2.9 centners/hectare (16.4%). Average extra yield due to Albit was 2.1 centners/hectare in Altay krai, by 1.2 centners/hectare in Buryatia, 3.6 centners/hectare in Kemerovo oblast, 4.4 centners/hectare in Kursk oblast, 3.8 centners/hectare in Lipetsk oblast, 2.9 centners/hectare in Penza, Saratov oblasts and in Primorye krai, 3.3 centners/hectare in Ryazan oblast, 0.4 centners/hectare in Tuva. Albit provides considerable relative yield increase in cases of both high and low original productivity levels.

Albit demonstrated high Biological Efficiency (BE) against the following diseases of spring wheat: 81.7% against powdery mildew, 59.2% against root rots, 51.2% against Septoria leaf spot, 50% against kernel black point, 46.4% against brown rust, 79.0% against stinking smut, 48.5% against loose smut, 46.4% against Helminthosporium rot, 43.4 against Fusarium head scab, 40.4% against Fusarium wilt. Fungicidal activity of Albit is detected at the disease prevalence (P) level of 2-100% and disease development (R) of 1-60%. Albit is officially registered in Russia as a fungicide against root rots, brown rust, septorioses and powdery mildew of spring wheat.

Besides yield increase and disease control, Albit increases germination ability, accelerates germination and changes of phenological stages, increases productive stem density, total and productive tillering, ear length, number of seeds in ear and weight of seeds, total protein and gluten content in grain, improves rootage (lenght of roots and formation of secondary roots ) and drought resistance. Ability of Albit to increase drought resistance, and to accelerate maturing. of wheat is especially important and was most clearly visible in regions of continental climate, such as Kurgan oblast (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001), Buryatia (2003) and Tuva (2001).

Application recommendations. Recommended full treatment of spring wheat with Albit includes presowing seed treatment and double foliar spraying in EC stages 20-39 and 50-69. It is reasonable to apply Albit together with fungicides (full or halved dose) during the presowig seed treatment and with herbicides, liquid fertilizers or insecticides during spray treatments. Seed treatment with Albit in case of presence of smut or other internal diseases must be performed jointly with chemical fungicide treatment. Recommended application rates of Albit are: 30-40 ml/tonne, 30-40 ml/hectare. The high rate (40 ml) is used at application of Albit in mixture with chemical pesticides. Cost of presowing treatment of 1 tonne of wheat seed is 66-88 roubles (about 2.64-3.52 USD), cost of foliar spraying of 1 hectare is the same. Presowing seed treatment is most important kind of treatment; it makes up 50-60% of total effect of Allbit. First foliar spraying is also highly efficient. The second foliar spraying is just a useful addition to first two treatments and aimed mainly on improvement of yield quality. In northern regions of Russia, and also in cold and humid years, treatments in second half of vegetation are not recommended.

Since application of herbicides causes stress and intoxication of spring wheat, they should be used in combination with an antidote (Albit). Results of trials performed in different regions of Russia demonstrate that Albit used in mixes with herbicides can effectively relieve herbicidal stress of spring wheat, while effectiveness of herbicides remains intact. Combination of Albit with insecticides is also quite effective. For example, application of Albit together with insecticide based on lambda-cyhalothrin on spring wheat in Pushkinskoye Experimental Farm (Nizhniy Novgorod oblast) decreased diseases- and pests-caused yield losses averagely by 30% comparing to control treated with pure insecticides (Table 1).

In the conducted field trials economical or biological effectiveness of Albit was not inferior to that of of formulations based on Pseudomonas aureofaciens and its metabolites, biologically active compounds from cedar and fir, orthocresoxiacetates, Bacillus subtilis, tebuconazole, Trichoderma viridae, thiabendazole, flutriafol, cyproconazole, dihydroquercetin, triterpene acids, humates and other analogues.

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