Vol 45, No 2 (2019)

Data on the evaluation of the effect of ten preparations based on humic substances and silver (FlorHumat, Flora-S, Edagum, Fitop Flora-S, Zerebra agro, BatyrMax, Batyr 40N, Batyr 40N + Max, Azofoska) on the productivity of spring soft wheat are presented. Plant productivity was studied according to the following parameters: plant phase (according to the Eucarpia scale), the number of germinal and coleoptile roots, the length of germinal and coleoptile roots, the number and length of nodal roots, the total mass of roots, the mass of the vegetative part of plants, the length of the spike, the number of spikelets in the wheat spike, the number of grains in the wheat spike, the mass of the spike, the height of plants, the area of the flag leaf and preflag leaf, productive tilling capacity, and general tilling capacity. The foliar treatment of plants with the preparations was carried out in appropriate concentrations in the evening during the phases of wheat tillering and flag leaf formation. The biological yield of the wheat was most strongly influenced by the BatyrMax preparation. The Edagum preparation showed maximum efficiency in the number of significant positive changes in wheat productivity compared to the control (untreated plants) and background (the plants were treated with the Azofoska preparation). The similarities in the action of Edagum, Fitop Flora-S and Zerebra agro, and Batyr 40N + Max preparations on the changes in most of the wheat productivity indicators were revealed. There was no statistically significant effect of Flora-S, FlorHumat, and Azofoska on the yield.

The transpiratory rate, growth rate and biomass production of plant species from Fabaceae and Poaceae group were investigated in a long-term field study. We compared photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, leaf transpiration, internal CO₂ concentration, water use efficiency, intrinsic instantaneous water use efficiency, instantaneous carboxylation efficiency, growth rate, biomass production, and leaf macronutrient content of eight different plant species in a long-term field experiment. We found the highest values for all studied variables with C. juncea, C. ochroleuca, C. ensiformis, D. lablab and M. pruriens. We also found significant differences among Fabaceae and Poaceae group for all studied variables. Our findings suggest that the plant species from Family Fabaceae present high transpiratory rate, fast-growth and better nutritional status than plant species from Family Poaceae, and these results highlight the importance of considering the long-term use of legume plants as green manure in order to create positive plant-soil feedback.

The lignocellulosic wastes, cashew leaf litter (CLL) admixed with various animal dungscowdung (CD), sheepdung (SD) and horsedung (HD) have been subjected to vermicomposting by using indigenous earthworms, Perionyx excavatus and Lampito mauritii and to produce value added vermicompost. Four different combinations of each [100% dung alone, 3 : 1 (75% dung + 25% CLL), 2 : 2 (50% dung + 50% CLL) and 1 : 3 (25% dung + 75% CLL)] vermibeds were prepared for vermicomposting process. After 60 days, the vermicompost and worm-unworked normal compost were harvested and characterized and growth (biomass), reproductive performance of earthworms-cocoon production, hatchling number and recovery of vermicompost were also studied. The obtained results clearly showed that vermicompost from CLL admixed with CD at 2 : 2 ratio had lower pH, organic carbon, C–N ratio, C–P ratio, lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose and phenol content, and higher nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, dehydrogenase and humic acid content than the raw substrates and normal compost. Also pronounced and better earthworm activity was found in the above combination for both species. Hence organic farming practices using vermicompost promise an alternative to the existing practices and proved as a sustainable approach.

Crop water productivity models are valuable tools for investigate the crop responses to the water-management strategies and ameliorate the efficiency of water use in agriculture. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of AquaCrop model for maize crop (Zea mays L.) under full, excessive and deficit applications of drip irrigation in semi-humid region of China. The evaluation results emphasized the model accuracy in simulations CC, SWC, B*, Y and WUE with satisfactory performance in full irrigation, and moderate water stressed treatment T₂ of 75% of full irrigation. This accuracy declines in circumstances of excessive irrigation T₁ of 125% of full irrigation, and high water stressed T₃ of 50% of full irrigation. The RMSEs and NRMSEs in simulated CC, and SWC for full irrigation, T₁, T₂ and T₃ treatments were 7.3–8.6, 6.3–7.2, 5.4–6.3 and 4.9–5.6% CC, respectively, and 9.4–4.8, 16.1–8.1, 16.4–9.3 and 20.9–13.4% SWC, respectively. Whereas, the D-index and R² of CC varied between 0.72 to 0.89 and 0.99 to 1.0, while in the SWC varied between 0.54 to 0.83 and 0.48 to 0.96 for the four irrigation treatments. The differences (S.D) in final biomass and grain yield were within the range of 0.23 to 4.45% and 0.30 to 1.46% between the measurement and simulation. Simulated WUEs of biomass and yield under different irrigation treatments ranged between 6.07 to 6.52 kg/m³ and 3.07 to 3.16 kg/m³, AquaCrop’s performance trends to underestimate the WUEs of biomass and yield, and emphasizes that the yield WUE increased linearly with water stress condition increased.

Effects of the Vermiculite adsorbent and the Ruminant Extract phytobiotic on the density of infusoria inhabiting rumen and the cow milk production have been studied. It was ascertained that these supplements had a positive effect on the density of rumen infusoria when they were added to the rations for the lactating cows. Their populations in the animals provided with the combined Vermiculite and Ruminant Extract supplement and the only Ruminant Extract phytobiotic comprised 309 000 and 234 000 specimens per 1 mL of rumen fluid, respectively; in the control animals, there were 203 000 specimens per 1 mL of rumen fluid. The populations of infusoria were increased by 52.3 and 15.4%, respectively. Therefore, the Vermiculite adsorbent and the Ruminant Extract phytobiotic contributed to improving the cow milk production by 4.1 and 3.8%, respectively.

The use of the Holstein breed’s genetic potential has enabled the creation of a new Ural Black-and-White cattle type to improve the indigenous breeds. The Ural region cattle population consists of eight breeds. The Black-and-White cow makes up 81.9%. The cow milk production is 6237 kg milk. The mass fractions of milk fat and protein are 3.88 and 3.13%, respectively. The highest milk yield of 7352 kg milk is recorded in the Holstein cows. The purebred and fourth generation animals represent 92–100% of the population in the oblasts and republics within the region. In addition, all the cattle on the farms in the Tyumen, Kurgan, and Chelyabinsk oblasts and in the Primorsky krai are purebred; eighty percent of these purebred animals are classed as the Elite Record (Super Elite) and Elite cattle. Therefore, the high-class cattle herds are built in the Ural region.

The probiotic formulation Sakhabactisubtil based on the strains of Bacillus subtilis with zeolite can increase the immunogenicity of inactivated vaccines used to prevent rhinopneumonitis and salmonellosis abortions in herd horse breeding. By the end of the study in March, pregnant mares of the experimental group had a higher level of normal intestinal microbiota (bifidobacteria, lactic acid bacteria, enterococci, and spore aerobic bacteria) as compared with the control group. The use of probiotic preparation improves the disordered intestinal microbiota and stimulates the immunological reactivity. As a result, the efficacy of inactivated vaccines is increased by 12.1%.

Study results of the processing of initial samples of triticale grain into graded bread flour according to the designed reduced and developed technological schemes are presented. When processing Ramses grains, the output of the T-70 grade of triticale flour (with ash content of no more than 0.70%) from the central part of the endosperm was 40% according to the reduced technological scheme and 63% according to the developed technological scheme. The total output of flour according to the developed scheme in comparison with the reduced one increased by 3.4 and amounted to 75.5%. At the same time, the output of the low-ash T-60 grade flour according to GOST 34 142-2017 according to the developed scheme was 46%, while it was not possible to get a single percent of flour according to the reduced scheme. When processing Saur grade grain, the output of the T-70 grade triticale flour from the central part of the endosperm according to both the reduced scheme and the developed scheme amounted to 77.4%. When processed according to the developed scheme, the total output of flour increased by 0.6 and amounted to 78.0% in comparison with the reduced scheme. At the same time, according to the developed processing scheme, 42% of triticale flour was obtained with ash content of no more than 0.55%, while it was not possible to obtain a single percent of triticale flour with ash content of 0.55% according to the reduced scheme. It is established that processing of triticale grain according to the developed technological scheme with the use of sizing and sieve-purifying systems allows increasing the total output of flour by 0.6–3.4% in comparison with the reduced technological scheme.

Theoretical foundations for creating systems to initiate the implementation of a precision farming concept using the latest achievements in the field of GIS-technologies have been developed. The expansion of precision farming principles in the field of land reclamation technologies is due to the necessity for taking into account the spatial heterogeneity of the initial characteristics of reclaimed lands on the basis of a specific, sectoral set of criteria and indicators. A conceptual scheme for allocating territorial control units based on the data on the intrafield heterogeneity of the indicator is proposed, an algorithm for grouping spatial data to estimate the boundaries and spatial position of territorial control units based on GIS-technologies is developed, and two basic schemes of a site survey for allocating territorial control units are considered. The proposed algorithm, implemented on the basis of last generation geographic information technologies, makes it possible to effectively solve the problem of allocating territorial control units, i.e., a key problem in taking into account the spatial heterogeneity of an irrigated area’s initial characteristics, which is of direct applied value for the creation of precision irrigation technologies.