The use of biologization elements in the cultivation of spring barley in the conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine

Abstract

The research aimed to assess the effectiveness of implementing biotechnological elements in the cultivation technology of modern varieties of spring barley. The study evaluated not only the potential for increasing grain yields but also the improvement of key soil fertility characteristics with a reduction in the application rate of mineral fertilizers. The use of stubble decomposers and modern biopreparations for fertilizing spring barley plants positively affected the grain yield of all studied varieties of this crop. This approach was comparable in terms of grain productivity to the variants applying the recommended dose of mineral fertilizer. It is substantiated that the Southern Steppe zone of Ukraine must preserve and restore soil quality, as well as its water absorption and retention capacity, by enriching it with organic matter. Improving key soil fertility characteristics, particularly by enriching them with fresh organic matter, contributes to the activation of microbiological processes. At the same time, implementing optimization elements in nutrition ensures an increase in the grain productivity of spring barley. All varieties studied showed significantly higher grain yields when combining the use of Eco-Stubble for decomposing post-harvest root residues of the preceding crop, winter wheat, along with nutrition optimization. It was established that with the application of the recommended dose of mineral fertilizer N30P30 and N15P15K15 for the zone, along with foliar feeding using modern biopreparations (Organic Balance 0.5 l/ha + Azotofit 0.3 l/ha + Liposam 0.25 l/ha), the grain yield of the studied spring barley varieties was formed at an equal level. The highest grain yield was recorded for the spring barley variety Troyan, followed closely by the variety Myrny, while the lowest yield was observed for the variety Aristey. On average, across all variants from 2022 to 2024, the grain yields for the respective varieties were: 5.25; 4.88; and 3.63 t/ha.