Organic cultivation of carrot in the right-bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

Abstract

The carrot (Daucus carota var. sativus L.) is one of the most widely grown vegetable crops in the world. It is characterised by prominent taste qualities and a rich chemical composition, which makes it valuable for fresh and processed consumption. Considering the population’s need for high-quality, environmentally friendly products, it is vital to investigate the organic cultivation of the carrot. The purpose of this study was to investigate the organic cultivation of carrots in the right-bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. The following research methods were used: field, measuring and weighing, mathematical, and statistical. The paper presents findings for 2020-2022, where the growth, development, and formation of the crop under organic cultivation technology were investigated. The phenological phases and their duration, biometric parameters of carrot plants, and their yield were studied. The organic technology of growing carrots helped to reduce the interphase periods. The end of the vegetation period of carrots was observed earlier under organic cultivation technology by 2 and 3 days compared to the control variant. The height of the carrot plants was the highest in the Bolivar F1 hybrid under organic cultivation technology – 37 cm, which is 7 cm more than the control variant. The highest leafiness was observed in the studied variety and hybrid under organic cultivation technology. In the Olympus variety, the increase relative to the control was 3 pcs./plant, in the Bolivar F1 hybrid – 2 pcs./plant. The regularity of increasing the parameters of carrot roots under organic cultivation technology was noted. The increase in the diameter and length of the root crop under organic cultivation technology was 1.0-2.0 cm and 3 cm, respectively. The largest weight of root crops was under organic cultivation technology, where the increase relative to the control variant was 5 g for the Olympus variety and 7 g for the Bolivar F1 hybrid. When using organic technology, which involves biological products, the total yield of root crops increased by 3.1 t/ha compared to the control variant

Keywords

• organic technology
• variety
• hybrid
• biometric parameters
• interphase periods
• yield