Photosynthetic Activity of Cup Plant Depending on the Method of Seeding

Abstract

Biological farming throughout the world is becoming a necessity for the production of safe products, and the preservation of fertility and biodiversity. In this direction, there is a significant interest of the scientific community in the perennial culture – cup plant. The cup plant has a wide range of uses in economic activities and due to its high resistance to diseases and pests, the long-term use of its plantations without replanting, and the accumulation of a significant mass of organic matter in the soil, it can be used to expand the species diversity of perennial grasses in the biological farming system. The aim of the study was to examine the influence of the seeding method and seeding rate on photosynthetic activity and dry matter productivity of the cup plant in the forest-steppe conditions of Western Siberia. It was found that with an ordinary method of sowing at a seeding rate of 4 million pcs/ha, the grass stand in the first cut had the highest rates of photosynthetic activity on average over the years of research: the leaf area was 14.8 m2 /m2 , the photosynthetic potential was 4.0 million m2 day/ha and the net productivity of photosynthesis was 2.0 g/m2 ⋅ day. In the second cut, the figures were 8.4 m2 /m2 , 1.9 million m2 day/ha and 2.8 g/m2 ⋅ day, respectively. The optimal density of herbage and active photosynthetic activity in the cup plant using this method of sowing contributed to a significant yield of dry matter of 12.6 t/ha with a high level of PAR absorption of 2.9%.
 Keywords: cup plant, yield, photosynthesis, sowing method