NUTRITIONAL REGIME OF PLANTS AS A KEY FACTOR IN THE FORMATION OF CHICKPEA YIELD
Abstract
The aim is to determine the effect of a biological inoculant based on the nitrogen-fixing bacterium Mesorhizobium ciceri, mineral fertilizers, and the microfertilizer B, as well as their combinations, on the growth and development of plants and the yield of chickpeas. Methods. Field experiment was carried out on the black soil of the Poltava State Agricultural Research Station named after M.I. Vavilov of Institute of Pig Breeding and Agro-Industrial Production of NAAS. A two-factor experiment was employed to study the effect of the biological inoculant BiNitro Chickpea, containing nitrogen-fixing nodule bacteria Mesorhizobium ciceri with a titer of at least 2×10⁹ CFU/cm³ and their metabolic products (phytohormones, amino acids, vitamins) at a dosage of 2.0 L per 1 ton of seed (factor A); different levels of mineral fertilization: N0P0K0, N0P35K35, N20P70K70, N0P0K0+В, N0P35K35+В, N20P70K70+В (factor B) and their combinations on the parameters of photosynthetic activity of crops, the value of plant productivity elements, and the yield of chickpea crops. The results of the study showed the positive effect of biological inoculant, mineral fertilizers, and micronutrient as well as their combinations, on leaf surface area, the duration and productivity of its photosynthetic activity, plant production of above-ground organic biomass, the size of structural yield components, and the overall productivity of chickpea crops. Conclusions. The comprehensive application of the biological inoculant, microfertilizers, and mineral fertilizers at a rate of N20P70K70 created the most favorable conditions for leaf surface development and its photosynthetic activity, individual plant productivity, and total chickpea crop yield, reaching up to 2.42 t/ha. Among the agronomic practices employed, the application of mineral fertilizers proved to be the most effective, resulting in a yield increase of 0,38–0,84 t/ha. The use of a bacterial inoculant made it possible to increase chickpea crop productivity to,64 t/ha, and in treatments combining it with foliar fertilization, this indicator amounted to 1.68 t/ha.
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