Agroecological aspects of the application of growth regulators in the cultivation of spring barley

Abstract

Against the backdrop of global climate change, the formation of high productivity of grain crops requires effective implementation of measures that ensure high physiological stability, minimize the effects of environmental stress factors, and promote optimal plant growth and development throughout the growing season. Among the numerous tools used in crop cultivation technologies to increase yield and improve product quality, plant growth regulators occupy a prominent place. Currently, both scientific research and practice have confirmed the high effectiveness of these drugs in grain crops. Recently, particular attention has been paid to drugs that do not have a negative impact on agrophytocenoses. The aim of the research was to study the effect of the biological preparations Biosil, v. s. r., Biolan, v. s. r., Rengoplant, v. s. r. and Stympo, v. s. r. on the yield and quality of spring barley. To assess the effectiveness of the studied products, pre-sowing seed treatment and foliar spraying of plants of the Aeneas and Commander varieties were applied during the growing season (phases: end of tillering – beginning of tube formation, appearance of the flag leaf). According to the results of the conducted research, it was found that pre-sowing treatment of spring barley seeds of the Komandor variety with growth regulators increases its field germination by 3.9–5.4 %, and of the Aeneas variety by 4.5–6.8 %. Depending on the variety and the use of growth regulators, the total tillering coefficient of barley plants was 2.9–3.3, and the productive coefficient was 1.3–1.7. The highest productivity indicators of spring barley are provided by treatment with the drug Rengoplant, which, depending on the variety, contributes to the formation of 13.7–13.9 % more grain mass per ear, 14.3–15.6 % more mass of 1000 seeds, and 14.4–16.8 % more grain yield compared to the control variant. The use of growth regulators in spring barley crops of the Aeneas variety resulted in increases in protein content by 0.08–0.34 %, starch by 0.36–0.86 %, fats by 0.18–0.23 %, ash by 0.01–0.05 %, in the Komandor variety, the respective increases were 0.08–0.24 %, 0.1–1.9 %, 0.04–0.22 %, and 0.04–0.14 %.