Formation of leaf area of oil flax crops depending on macro- and microfertilizers in the conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine

Abstract

To determine the effect of pre-sowing seed treatment with micronutrients and plant nutrition background on the formation of leaf area of oil flax crops of the Reliable variety in the conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine. Methods. Field, analytical, statistical. The research was conducted in 2021–2023 at the Experimental Field of the Educational, Scientific and Practical Center of Mykolayiv National Agrarian University. The study is two-factor. Factor A – pre-sowing seed treatment: 1. Water treatment; 2. Bast Complex (0.5 l/ton). Factor B – nutrition background: 1. Without fertilizers; 2. N15P15K15; 3. Bast Complex (1.5 l/ha); 4. N15P15K15 + Bast Complex (1.5 l/ha); 5. Organic D-2M (2 l/ha); 6. N15P15K15 + Organic D-2M (2 l/ha); 7. Boron (1 l/ha); 8. N15P15K15 + Boron (1 l/ha). Foliar feeding was carried out at the «fir tree» stage. Results. Optimization of the nutrition background contributed to an increase in the leaf area of oil flax crops by 1.1–2.4 times compared to the unfertilized control. Seed treatment with micronutrients had a slightly smaller but significant effect on this indicator. The maximum size of the leaf apparatus in all determination terms was formed by plants with seed treatment with micronutrients and a combination of basic application of mineral fertilizers N15P15K15 and foliar feeding of crops with Boron, Organic D-2M, or Bast Complex. The increase in leaf area occurred until the flowering phase, and during the. flowering period – green maturity, this indicator was negative, indicating the gradual aging and dying off of the leaf apparatus. Optimization of nutrition and seed treatment with micronutrients contributed to an increase in the growth of the leaf area of oil flax plants. A very strong correlation-regression dependence was established between the leaf area of plants and the yield of oil flax seeds: R2 = 0.8092–0.9981. Conclusions. It has been established that pre-sowing seed treatment and sowing with micronutrients (Boron, Organic D-2M, or Bast Complex) at the background of basic application of mineral fertilizers at the rate of N15P15K15 contributesto an increase in the leaf area of oil flax crops and the intensity of its growth.