Experience of using silicon-containing fertilizer NaturAgro EcoGrow on spring wheat under the conditions of the Biya-Chumysh area of the Altai Region

Abstract

When changing-over to organic farming, the application of fertilizers containing biologically active components is one of the most helpful practices. The application of fertilizers containing active silicon in spring wheat growing technologies allows obtaining a fairly high effect. The research goal was to study the effect of the NaturAgro EcoGrow fertilizer when applied in spring wheat growing technology on the agrochemical and biological properties of chernozem soil and on the indices of the crop yield formula, yielding capacity and grain quality. The experiment was established in the Central zone of the Altai Region. Spring wheat of the Buran variety was grown with the use of seed treatment product in a rate of 15 L t and foliar dressing during the growing season in a rate of 1.5 and 2.0 L ha. When the EcoGrow fertilizer was applied, the following was found: soil moisture increase by 0.3-2.1%, slight decrease of soil supply with mineral forms of nitrogen, mobile phosphorus and potassium, and increased level of mobile sulfur, especially when fertilizing in a rate of 2.0 L ha. Among the experimental findings was decreased total soil biogenesity with increased mineralization coefficient from 1.08 to 1.13-1.75. In plants, the dry solids content increased by 2.2-2.8 g, nitrogen content - by 0.48-2.58%, phosphorus content - from 0.18 to 0.19-0.23% while the potassium content decreased. There was increase of productive tillering by 0.04-0.80, the number of spikelets per ear from 13.4 to 13.9-14.3 pieces, the number of grains from 38.6 to 38.8-43.4 pieces, and the grain weight per ear - by 0.02 -0.13 g. There was no clear dependence of the yield formula changes on the rate and dates of foliar dressing, but foliar dressings in a rate of 1.5 L ha in the dry first half of the growing season were more effective. The combination of seed treatment and foliar dressings in rates of 1.5 and 2 L ha at different stages reliably allows obtaining wheat yield gains from 0.59 to 1.72 t ha that is 12.8-37.4% of the control. At the same time, the protein content increases from 12.52 to 13.25-17.38% and gluten content - from 28.8 to 30.2-35.2%.