Productivity and grain quality of winter barley varieties depending on plant growth regulators under conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of plant growth regulators on productivity and grain quality of winter barley varieties. Methods. The field experiments were conducted in 2018-2020 on nonirrigated lands of the Farm «Korostynskyi» of Chaplynka district in Kherson region. The research methods are field, laboratory and statistical. Agricultural technology of winter barley cultivation is generally accepted for the conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine, except the factors under study. Pre-sowing seed treatment was performed according to the experiment scheme 1-2 days before the sowing time with the method of incrustation calculated as 10 l of the mixture per ton of seeds. The rate of application of the plant growth regulator Vehestym is 0.3 l/t of seeds, the plant growth regulator Rival – 0.4 l/t. Results. The highest weight of grain per ear and the weight of 1000 grains were identified when growing the varieties Atlant Myronivskyi and Burevii and applying the plant growth regulator Vehestym and made 1.7 and 51.7 and 1.5 and 47.2 g, respectively, on the average in 2019-2020. The highest productivity of winter barley grain on the average in 2019-2020 was obtained in the varieties Atlant Myronivskyi and Burevii being 3.03-3.15 and 2.87-3.00 t/ha, respectively, when applying the plant growth regulators that was by 0.3-0.73 t/ha higher than in the variety Aivenho. Application of the plant growth regulator Rival for seed treatment contributed to an increase in the productivity of winter wheat of the variety Atlant Myronivskyi by 5.6, Burevii – by 4.4, Aivenho – by 4.3, and Vehestym – by 9.8, 9.1 and 10.8%, respectively. The protein content in winter barley grain was the highest in the varieties Atlant Myronivskyi and Burevii when applying plant growth regulators – 13.7-14.4 and 12.9-13.9%, respectively. Application of plant growth regulators for seed treatment increased protein content in grain by 3.0-10.3% in the varieties of winter barley on the average in 2019-2020. The effect of Vehestym was the most considerable. Application of this plant growth regulator also contributed to an increase in protein output per hectare of the crops of winter barley. For instance, the relative protein output in this variant of the experiment increased by 18-20% in the varieties of winter barley in comparison with the variant without treatment. The highest relative protein output per hectare of the crops was in the varieties Atlant Myronivskyi and Burevii. The net profit was maximal – 8599-9618 UAH/ha in the variants with the varieties Atlant Myronivskyi and Burevii and application of the plant growth regulator Vehestym. The highest level of profitability was also obtained in these variants – 68.5-76.4%. Conclusions. When growing winter barley under conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine, in order to generate productivity at the level of 3.0-3.15 t/ha with high indexes of grain quality that will ensure the highest net profit and the highest level of profitability, we recommend growing the varieties Atlant Myronivskyi and Burevii and performing pre-sowing seed treatment with the plant growth regulator Vehestym at the rate of 0.3 l per ton.