Use of biological growth promoters to increase yields and improve potato phytosanitary condition under mountainous conditions of North Ossetia-Alania

Abstract

The findings of three-year (2022-2024) field studies to evaluate the effectiveness of an environmentally sound potato growing technology in the mountainous area of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania are discussed. The experiment was conducted in the mountainous area of the Kurtatinskoe gorge of the Alagirsky District of North Ossetia-Alania at a height of 1400 m above sea level on weak acid mountain meadow soils. The research goal was a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of the treatment schedules with the biological products (Fulvumin, Kelik-K, Kali, Phytosporin-M, and Izabion) on the phytosanitary condition, yields and quality of tubers of the potato varieties Zhukovskiy ranniy, Gorskiy and Osetinskiy. It was found that all treatment schedules with the biological products significantly reduced the incidence of major diseases in plants. The complex schedule using Phytosporin-M and Izabion products was the most efficient which reduced the development of late blight 5.5-6.3 times, and viral infections 4-10 times compared to the untreated control. The maximum yield gain (+9.3 t ha) was obtained in the variants of the experiment with the Osetinskiy variety where the yield reached 30.8 t ha. The marketability of tubers increased to 94.4-96.6%. The use of biological products also improved the biochemical indices of tubers: starch content increased by 2.8-4.4%, dry matter - by 2.8-4.3%. The results obtained are indicative of high effectiveness of the integrated use of biological products to protect potatoes against diseases, increase yields and improve product quality under the specific conditions of mountain farming in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. A schedule including Fulvumin, Kelik-K, Kali, Phytosporin-M and Izabion is recommended for commercial use.