Influence of biological products and seed storage duration on laboratory germination of spring wheat plants

The research was conducted at the Federal Agrarian Research Center of the North- East named after N.V. Rudnitsky. The influence of the growth regulator Emistim R, the biological preparation Albit TPS (flowing paste), and the chemical disinfectant Bunker, VKS (aqueous suspension concentrate) on the sowing qualities of seeds during storage was studied. The material for the research was seeds and 14-day-old seedlings of the spring wheat variety Bazhenka, harvested from 2015 to 2019. In 2022, an analysis of the sowing qualities of seeds from the 2015–2019 harvest was carried out, as well as a phytopathological analysis of seedlings using the roll culture method. The initial germination of seeds in most study options and harvest years met the requirements of SS (State Standard) 52325–2005. The sample volume in each repetition is 25 grains, four repetitions, and the experiment duration is 14 days. After the end of the experiment, the length and weight of leaves and roots were measured. The spread (damage) and development of root rot were taken into account according to E. Goiman’s scale. It was shown that laboratory germination and the manifestation of root rot at the beginning of ontogenesis, in addition to the weather conditions of the harvest year, were influenced by the treatment of sown seeds and the spraying of crops with growth regulators. It has been established that in spring wheat Bazhenka, in variants using the growth regulator Albit with minor damage by root rot, the growth processes of roots and green mass are improved, and laboratory germination increases. The drug Emistim R probably does not have high fungicidal activity against pathogens of root infections of wheat since, in almost all variants of its use, the indicators of damage and disease development were higher than in control. Studies have established a close positive relationship (r = 0.82 at P ≥ 0.95) between these signs. A significant negative relationship (r = -0.93 at P ≥ 0.95) was found between seedling damage and laboratory seed germination. In the variants of treatment of seeds or crops with Albit, the length and weight of roots and leaves were predominantly higher than the control in seeds of all years of reproduction. The stimulating effect of the biological product Emistim R is more pronounced when treating seeds. A significant negative relationship was established between the infection of long seedlings and the weight of roots and seedlings (r = -0.88; -0.54; -0.76; -0.75 at P ≥ 0.95).