ADAPTIVE POTENTIAL OF FENUGREEK SPECIES AT DIFFERENT SOWING TIMES

Abstract

Among the unexplored technological elements of growing fenugreek in the conditions of Ukraine is the creation of conveyor cultivation of the culture. Therefore, the problem of the influence of sowing dates on the growth and development of plants, the parameters of the harvest and the qualitative composition of marketable products is acute. The purpose of this study was to substantiate the optimal sowing dates of fenugreek species to increase the yield of dried products in the conditions of Polissia on sod-podzolic soils. The leading methods employed to investigate this issue were the field method – to find the interaction of the object of research with biotic and abiotic factors, statistical method – to evaluate the research results to find the parameters of fenugreek’s adaptive capacity. During 2012-2014, for different sowing periods, the average yield of dry mass in blue fenugreek varied from 0.5 to 1.3 t/ha, and in hay fenugreek – from 0.6 to 1.5 t/ha. The early spring period and the late spring period of the 1st sowing period were characterized by the highest overall adaptive capacity. The highest value of the specific adaptive capacity was established during the late spring 2nd sowing period. The relative stability index ranged from 2.6 to 11.4. Blue fenugreek during the late spring 1st and 2nd sowing periods responds well to improved growing conditions (bi >1), and fenugreek hay during the late spring 2nd and summer sowing periods. Early spring and late spring 1st sowing period samples are characterized by high breeding value. An increase in the sum of effective temperatures by 1°C contributed to the fluctuation of green mass yield from 4.82 to 128 kg/ha, and dry mass yield from 0.401 to 6.63 kg/ha. At the same time, an increase in precipitation by 1 mm affected the fluctuation of the yield of green mass from 15.0 to 146 kg/ha, and of dry mass from 0.145 to 25.9 kg/ha. Commercial production of fenugreek species was formed within the range of the sum of air temperatures (>10°C) 383.9-487.1°C, the amount of precipitation 70.7-144.3 mm, and the growing season ranged from 35 to 55 days. The highest productivity of fenugreek species was found during sowing from the second decade of April to the first decade of May. The materials of this paper are of practical value for expanding the species diversity of vegetables and increasing the supply of the population with valuable food products and during the application of new and improved elements of technologies for growing valuable rare crops to achieve the maximum effect of fulfilling the genetic potential of plants