Optimizing Crop Rotation and Cereal Saturation for Sustainable Winter Wheat Production Under Semiarid Conditions of Uzbekistan

In this study, the effect of crop rotation structure and cereal saturation on winter wheat productivity under semiarid conditions of Uzbekistan was analyzed. The research was conducted over a 20‐year period (2002–2022) at the Samarkand branch of the Research Institute of Agriculture and Agro‐Technologies. Ten rotation schemes were examined. The experiment included three‐field and four‐field short crop rotations with different levels of cereal saturation (33.3%–100%) and contrasting predecessor crops, including legumes, cereals, row crops, and bare fallow. Crop rotation systems with varying levels of cereal saturation and diverse precursor crops were investigated. Winter wheat yield data were statistically analyzed using one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey’s HSD test ( p < 0.05), allowing the assessment of both productivity and interannual yield stability under contrasting rotation systems. It was determined that rotations incorporating legumes significantly improved grain yield and marketable output. It was established that the highest yields were observed in four‐field rotations with chickpea as a precursor and full cereal saturation. It was revealed that continuous winter wheat cultivation resulted in the lowest yields due to soil fatigue and disease accumulation. Integration of legumes improved soil nitrogen availability and resilience to climatic stress. Diversified rotations provided better interannual yield stability. Optimizing rotation structure is critical for sustainable wheat production in arid environments. It was proposed that legume–cereal rotations with ≥ 75% cereal saturation represent a viable model for semiarid farming systems.