Productivity of red beet upon the application of humic substances and chelated microfertilizers on irrigated dark chestnut soils of the Saratov Transvolga region

Abstract

In 2013-2015 there was studied the effectiveness of products based on humic acids and chelated microfertilizers during red beet cultivation on irrigated dark chestnut soils of the Saratov Transvolga region. The objects of the study were products produced by Life Force LLC, RPE and Bordo red beet variety. The purpose of the research was to determine the most effective application methods of humic acid salts and fertilizers, containing micro (boron, manganese), meso (calcium) and macro (nitrogen), which can increase the productivity of root crops and improve their quality. In field experiments it has been established that spraying vegetative plants of red beet with a solution of Reasil® micro Hydra Mix increased the yield of commercial root crops by 7.17 t/ha for an average of three years (by 28 % to control). The application of a K-Humate-Na increased the yield by 3.26 t/ha (by 13% to the control). The maximum yield of root crops within our experiments was obtained with the application of Reasil B along with Reasil® micro Hydramix (34.02 t/ha). Similar results were obtained with the combination of Reasil® micro Hydramix and Reasil® Carb-N-Humic. As a rule, the fertilizers, applied in the experiments, had a positive effect on the yield of commercial products and lowering the proportion of substandard products. Humic acid salts and chelated fertilizers enhanced the accumulation of dry matter, increased the content of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, the amount of sugar and vitamin C in fruits. The content of nitrate nitrogen in fruits was about 13-14 times lower than maximum permissible concentration (MPC). The removal of macronutrients from the soil with the yield of red beet was increased significantly under the influence of humic acid salts and fertilizers.