DEVELOPMENT OF ROOT CELERY SEEDLINGS DEPENDING ON THE CONTENT OF VERMICULITE IN THE

Abstract

The article presents data of the influence of vermiculite content in the composition of soil-vermiculite substrates on agrophysical and agrochemical properties of substrates and on biometric indicators of root celery seedlings which grown on these substrates. The studies were conducted in the vegetation experiment, in the period 2014-2015 at the agricultural Institute named after N. P. Ogarev. We studied 7 levels of vermiculite content in the substrate, the properties of which were compared with the properties ofpure peat and mixed soil-vermiculite-peat substrate. By the time of root celery seedlings planting into the open ground, volume of the root system, leaf area and plant biomass were determined. A positive effect on the properties of substrates and biometric parameters of seedlings was observed with the content of vermiculite in the substrate in the amount of 50 to 65 % There was a decrease in volume weight and acidity, increased moisture capacity, porosity. Adding peat to the soil-vermiculite substrate in an amount of 30% improved the properties of the substrate and biometric parameters of seedlings. The increase in the share of vermiculite in the substrate from 80 to 100% greatly reduces the biometric indicators of celery seedlings. The dependence of biomass from the agrophysical and agrochemical indicators of the substrate was curvilinear. The optimal values of substrate parameters were established: volume weight - 0.55 g/cm , capillary moisture capacity - 120 %, total porosity - 77 %, the proportion of solid phase - 22 %, liquid phase - 52 %, gas phase - 26 %, pH of aqueous suspension - 7.1, electrical conductivity - 0.16 mSm / cm. The greatest influence on the biometric indicators of seedlings belongs to agrophysical properties of substrates.