AGRONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF SOME WHEAT VARIETIES UNDER CONVENTIONAL AND ORGANIC FIELD CONDITIONS

In this study we tested an assortment of eight Romanian wheat varieties in conventional and organic field conditions at Agricultural Research and Development Station.imnic, Craiova. The results for the yield showed that the varieties exhibited a significant interaction only with the organic field conditions. In these conditions of the organic field, the Litera variety was significantly inferior to the control (Glosa variety) in terms of yield. Overall, the varieties grown under organic field conditions had a lower yield (-42.6%), with a lower thousand grains weight (-6.8%) and a lower hectoliter weight (-1.6%) compared to conventional field conditions. The varieties of wheat that showed minimal loss under organic field conditions were Glosa for yield; Glosa and Ursita for thousand grains weight, and Ursita and Zamfira for hectoliter weight, hence these varieties could be used as parents for organic breeding programs in this region. Only in conventional field conditions, the correlation between yield and hectoliter weight was significant, 64.5% of the yield variability being associated with the variability of this character.