Cultivation of white mustard under the conditions of the southern part of the Non-Chernozem zone of Russia

Abstract

White mustard (Sinapis alba L.) is an environmentally friendly and eff ective resource of organic matter to increase the fertility of poor soils. Its seeds contain 30–40 % oil, 25–32 % protein, up to 1,0 % essential (mustard) oil, which is used in the pharmaceutical industry. It is widely used as a feed crop, on pasture and in the form of green top dressing before fl owering, it is well eaten by pigs and slightly worse by cattle. The period of good eating does not exceed 15–18 days. It is possible to improve its digestibility when sowing together with peas, vetch, and chin. White mustard mown at the beginning of fl owering improves the quality of milk and butter, which acquires a pleasant yellow color. A by-product of white mustard is the presscake obtained from its seeds after oil extraction. The presscake contains a lot of protein and fat. The purpose of the research was to improve the technological methods of white mustard production based on the use of various liquid complex fertilizers, sowing dates and herbicides that ensure high seed yield under the conditions of the southern part of the Non–Chernozem zone of Russia. It was found as a result of the research that the use of leaf processing in agrocenoses of white mustard with complex microbiological fertilizers had a stimulating eff ect on the growth and development of plants. The variety of Lucia was characterized by the maximum indicators of the crop structure in the variant with the combined use of Azotovite + Phosphatovite + Rauactive. In this variant, the maximum indicators of standing density were revealed 167,8 pcs/m2, which was higher than the control by 16,9 pcs/m2, plant height was 81,5 cm or higher than the control by 17,1 cm, the number of pods 56,5 pcs. per plant, which exceeded the control by 11,3 pcs. Non-root fertilizing with liquid micro fertilizers contributed to an increase in the indicators of the crop structure, in all studied variants. The maximum indicators for the variety of Lucia and the combined use of Mono-Boron + Mono-Zinc: the density of plants before harvesting was 146,6 pcs./m2, the height of plants was 67,8 cm, which was 9,8 cm higher than the control, the number of pods was 55,1 pcs. per plant, which exceeded the control by 1,1 pcs. The most favorable sowing period for formation of mustard plant is the second decade of May in the variant of a mixture of herbicides Galion + Miura.