AGROECOLOGICAL ZONING OF THE TERRITORY OF KIROV REGION FOR OAT CROPS PLACEMENT

Abstract

Oats are a valuable food and fodder crop, ranked sixth in world agricultural production. Between 2011 and 2021 in the region, the area of oat crops decreased by 7.9 thousand hectares or by 14.4%. In the structure of grain and leguminous crops, oats accounted for 14.9% in 2021. The crop productivity during the analyzed period varied from 13.0 c/ha (2013) to 24.2 c/ha (2019). During the study period, the average yield of oats was 20 q/ha with a variation coefficient of 16.9%. Gross grain production decreased by 480.79 thousand centners or by 41.5%, and amounted to 687.84 thousand centners in 2021. The purpose of the study is to identify agroecologically similar territories for guaranteed production of high-quality oat grain in Kirov region. The studies were carried out by analyzing the time series of crop yields with the allocation of the ecological component of its variability in the context of the municipal districts of the region over an 11-year period. To unite objects into classes, the method of pair-group association was used. As a result, 9 agroecologically similar territories were allocated to accommodate crops. The combined influence of environmental factors provides the most favorable conditions for placing oat crops in agroecologically similar territories No. 1, 3, 5. Here, a stable yield is obtained, characterized by low variability. The soil and climatic conditions of agroecologically similar territories No. 2, 4 are favorable for growing oats with a moderate level of variation. Agro-ecological conditions of agroecologically similar territories No. 6,7, 8, 9 limit the receipt of high and sustainable yields, therefore it is not recommended to grow oats in these areas. The results of agro-ecological zoning make it possible to determine the areas most suitable for obtaining a guaranteed crop yield and give recommendations for reducing areas with inefficient production.