Formation of castor productivity depending on the width of row spacing and density of standing

Abstract

The selection of plant species, their varieties, or hybrids and the establishment of their productivity is an urgent necessity today due to the shortage of biofuel production at the world level. The purpose of the study was to identify the influence of technological measures (row spacing width and plant density) on the formation of elements of the crop structure of castor varieties. During 2020-2021, a study was conducted in the field to examine the influence of plant density and row spacing on the elements of the crop structure of castor varieties Khortyts’ka 3 and Olesia in the educational and scientific laboratory “Demonstration field of agricultural crops” of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. The following methods were used: theoretical (statistical processing) and practical (descriptive, comparative). The following indicators were evaluated: the weight of 1000 seeds, the number of grains on the plant, and the mass of seeds per plant. The yield of castor seeds of the Khortyts’ka 3 variety was 1.27- 1.46 t/ha with a maximum standing density of 50 thousand plants/ha and a row spacing of 70 cm. The seed yield of the Olesia variety was 1.34-1.42 t/ha with the allocation of two most productive options – an option with a row spacing of 45 cm and 37.7 thousand plants/ha and an alternative with a row spacing of 70 cm and a density of 50 thousand plants/ha. The seed productivity of one plant can almost double with a decrease in the density of standing from 50 to 25 thousand plants/ha, while simultaneously forming larger seeds. The weight of 1000 seeds of the Khortyts’ka 3 variety ranged from 268 to 283 grams, and the Olesia variety was 294-316 grams. It was identified that the correlation between seed yield and seed productivity indicators is negative or absent at all, and with the density of standing is positive. The results indicate a high compensatory ability of castor oil varieties Khortyts’ka 3 and Olesia in the establishment of productivity elements at a different density of standing and width of row spacing in the conditions of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. This allows for conducting further studies on the influence of sowing parameters in a wider range and using the results obtained for growing castor oil in atypical soil and climatic conditions

Keywords

• elements of yield structure
• thousand seeds weight
• semi-dwarf cultivars
• seed yield