Biologically Active Substances from Oxidized Lignite of the Itatsky Deposit

Abstract

Abstract Biologically active substances of natural origin are of great interest for agriculture, as their use allows to increase the efficiency of the industry and to obtain environmentally friendly products. The purpose of this work is to determine the biological activity of potassium humates obtained from oxidized brown coal beds of the Itatskoe deposit in the Kansko-Achinsky brown coal basin. Alkaline extraction of potassium humates and study of their biological activity were carried out in laboratories of Kuzbass State Agricultural Academy in 2017-2019. It was found that oxidized brown coals, inferior in their qualities to ordinary ones as fuel, are a promising source of biologically active substances for crop production. The study of biological activity of potassium humates revealed their significant impact on seed germination and morphometric characteristics of cucumber and soybean sprouts. When soaking seeds in solutions of potassium humates with concentrations from 0.001% to 0.1%, small concentrations of humates - 0.001% and 0.005% - had the greatest positive effect on the germination and length of soybean roots, length and weight of roots and cucumber stems.