Sugar sorghum on dried organogenic soils of the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

Abstract

Goal. To determine the dependence of sugar sorghum productivity on the elements of its cultivation technology in the conditions of drained organogenic soils of the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Methods. Field — to monitor the growth and development of plants, the formation of their yields, evaluation of the studied elements of cultivation technology; vegetation — to study the growth, development and productivity of sugar sorghum plants depending on fertilizers, precursors and tillage; measuring and measuring-weight — to determine the yield, water regime of the soil; laboratory — to determine the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of agrochemical and physicochemical properties of peatlands; statistical — to establish the reliability of the obtained research results; calculated-comparative — to assess the economic and energy efficiency of the main elements of the technology of growing sugar sorghum in drained peatlands of the Left Bank Forest-Steppe. Results. Growing sugar sorghum in drained organogenic (peat) soils of the Left Bank Forest-Steppe involves the following elements of technology: milling of turf of perennial hayfields for long-term use to a depth of 10–12 cm, followed by plowing at 22–25 cm. To improve the efficiency of using a layer of perennial grasses as a precursor of sugar sorghum, white mustard is sown on green manure. Pre-sowing spring tillage provided for 2 disking of the area by 10–12 cm with application of K60 before the last disking. Sowing was carried out when the soil was warmed to a depth of 5 cm to 12–15°C, in a wide row (with a row spacing of 70 cm) to a depth of 4–5 cm. Seeding rate — 6 kg/ha. Conclusions. It is established that the technology, which provides for the placement of sugar sorghum after many years of hayfields, long-term use of grasses + white mustard on green manure for surface tillage (10–12 cm) and the introduction of K60, provides a green mass of 77.6 t/ha; dry mass — 21.8 t/ha, thermal energy — 370 GJ/ha. Growing sugar sorghum with this technology provides the highest profitability — 210% at the lowest cost of production — 133 UAH/ha and net profit — 6.1 thousand UAH/ha, and the best Kee — 11.2.