Effects of NPK fertilizers and fungicides on the quality of bread wheat in different years

The wet gluten content, gluten spreading, baking value, technological water-absorbing ability and falling number of 4 wheat varieties were studied in a year with an average rainfall (2001) and two dry years (2002 and 2003). The wheat varieties were treated with different doses of NPK fertilizers and fungicides (Artea 330EC: 80 g/l cyproconazole + 250 g/l propiconazole, and Kolfugo 25WF: 250 g/l carbendazime). The highest fertilizer doses (120 kg/ha N + 60 kg/ha P + 60 kg/ha K, or 160 kg/ha N + 80 kg/ha P + 80 kg/ha K) significantly increased the wet gluten content of the 4 tested wheat varieties in all three years. The gluten spreading, the baking value, the water-absorbing ability and the falling number were not enhanced significantly by the fertilization. Both a higher dose of fertilizers and the use of fungicides tended to increase only the extent of gluten spreading and the baking value. A higher fertilizer dose and a dryer year did not affect the technological water-absorbing ability. The falling number tended to rise as the fertilization was increased. The effect of fungicidal treatment was not unambiguous: it sometimes decreased the falling number to under the upper standard limit (400 see), i.e. it improved the quality. In the dry years, a significantly larger quantity of gluten, a greater extent of gluten spreading, a higher falling number and a better baking value were observed.