EFFECTS OF BIOSTIMULANTS ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF WINTER CEREALS

Abstract

Cereals are the most important cultivated crop in the world. Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) have relatively lower cereal yields than their surrounding countries. Unfavourable environmental conditions are one of the reasons for low grain yields. However, farmers can mitigate the adverse effects of environmental conditions on yield by applying various agronomic practices. One possible way to eliminate the environment's negative consequences on cereal yield is the application of biostimulants. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the influence of biostimulants on cereal yields and quality in the environmental conditions of central Bosnia and Herzegovina. A field experiment was conducted at Sarajevo, B&H, at the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science. The treatments used in this research consisted of a combination of biostimulants (applied and unapplied) and different cereal species (wheat, barley and oats). Experimental results showed a significant impact of biostimulant application on the quality traits. The oats' mass of 1.000 seeds ranged from 35.9 g (unapplied) to 37.0 g (applied). Biostimulant barley variants had more test weight (60.7 kg hL-1) than those without it (59.3 kg hL-1). Wheat content protein ranged from 10.94 (unapplied) to 11.25% (applied).