Sugar beet and barley yield as affected by fertilization system and tillage in grain-hoed crop rotation

Abstract

Purpose. To substantiate the dependence of sugar beet yield on fertilization and soil tillage management in short grain-hoed crop rotation.Methods. Field, laboratory and statistical.Results. The long-term stationary experiment was carried out in the zone of insufficient soil moisture on slightly saline chernozem in grain-hoed crop rotation with a share of hoed crops of 50 % and grain crops of 50 %. Sugar beets were grown in the unit with silage maize with the practice of ploughing and combined tillage. With the application of 25 t/ha of manure + N90P90K90 and ploughing, 35.3 t/ha of roots was obtained. The practice of combined tillage was inferior to ploughing in terms of sugar yield, which was less by 2.0 t/ha. In the treatment with straw (as organic fertilizer) + N140P90K90, the yield was 36.02 t/ha which was not inferior to the treatment with 25 t/ha of manure + N90P90K90. In the most favourable year, with straw + N140P90K90, the yield for ploughing and combined tillage ranged from 47.2 to 45.8 t/ha. In the least favourable year, the efficiency of the organo-mineral system decreased on the background of straw + N140P90K90 to 24.6 and 23.4 t/ha of roots, respectively. Barley was grown under the effects of fertilizers applied to sugar beet on the background of 25 t/ha of manure + N140P90K90 under sugar beet, followed by ploughing of sugar beet into the soil with ploughing and combined tillage. Its grain yield made up 3.91–3.96 t/ha, that was not inferior to the treatment with manure and mineral fertilizers.Conclusions. The practice of using 25 t/ha of manure + N90P90K90 under sugar beet with ploughing and combined tillage ensured root yield of 35.3 and 31.5 t/ha and 6.10 and 5.59 t/ha, respectively. Application of straw + N140P90K90 for sugar beet was not inferior to the application of 25 t/ha of manure + N90P90K90. With combined tillage the sugar content in sugar beet was higher than with ploughing. The barley yield under the aftereffect of 25 t/ha of manure + N140P90K90 applied to sugar beets, followed by ploughing, was not affected by the soil tillage methods.