Application of Chitosan to Protect Wheat from Diseases and Boost Yields

The protective effect of two chitosan complexes with biologically active substances was studied on wheat for the period 2016–2020. Chitosan I included a 0.1% chitosan solution of Chitosan mM 100 kDa and Chitosan mM 50 kDa (1 : 1), succinic acid, glutamic acid, and 0.025% salicylic acid. Chitosan II included a 0.1% chitosan solution, Chitosan mM 50kDa, succinic acid, glutamic acid, 0.0015% indolylacetic acid, and 0.1% chitosan salicylate mM 60 kDa containing 25% ion-bound fragments of salicylic acid. The complexes Chitosan I and Chitosan II significantly reduced wheat damage by brown rust and septoria–pyrenophorous spotting, and a decrease in the development of powdery mildew was noted in the Chitosan I variant. Chitosan salicylate (0.1%) reduced the degree of root-rot damage to wheat by 79% and yellow rust by 29.1%; suppressed the development of powdery mildew; increased the yield by 32.8%; and caused a 55.6% increase in indices of wheat growth, development, productivity, and yield. The complexes Chitosan I and Chitosan II had a positive impact on 11.1 and 27.8% of the wheat productivity indices.