Impact of precipitation on yield quantity and quality of wheat and maize crops

Yield samples of winter wheat Triticum aestivum L. and maize Zea mays L. taken from consecutive series of crop years at the Nagygombos experimental field of the Szent Istvan University have been evaluated. Impact of precipitation on yield quantity and quality was studied. In case of wheat protein, wet gluten, farinographic value, and Hagberg sedimentation, while in case of maize, protein, starch, oil, and fibre content were examined. Yield performance of wheat and maize varieties has been highly variable regarding crop years. Wheat was less affected by precipitation in general, however, extremely high precipitation as well as drought caused yield depression. Water demand of yield formation was in accordance with that of C3 - C4 physiological patterns. Yield quality was highly influenced by different crop years. In case of wheat, wet gluten content proved to be a most stable characteristic. Protein, farinographic values, and Hagberg sedimentation figures were more variable in relation with the precipitation of crop years. Yield quantity of maize crop proved to be more variable than quality parameters. Protein values were smaller, and starch values higher in rainy years. Other parameters, like oil and fibre have shown no consequent changes that could be related to the amount of annual precipitation.