Effect of organic cultivation technology on row crop yielding capacity

Abstract

The study aimed to estimate the effect of organic technologies on yielding capacity of row crops in the North-West Russia and the after-effect of compost on the successor crop. Experiments took place in 2020-2022. The crop rotation included the zoned perennial grasses, potato, and table beet. Potatoes were fertilised with BIAGUM compost produced from poultry manure in a fermenter. In 2020-2021, the compost application doses were 0 (control), 4 and 8 t ha-1 (5.5 t ha-1 in 2022) or 0 (control), 80 and 160 kg N ha-1 (110 kg N ha-1 in 2022). The table beet was sown on the plots fertilised in the previous year under potatoes. The mechanical weed control of row spacing was performed twice in the growing season. Weather conditions were monitored by the own weather station near the experimental field. The year 2021 was the warmest and the driest in the study period. In 2022, the rainfall was satisfactory for crops – 238.20 mm. In control variants, the potato yields ranged from 12.78 to 20.25 t ha-1 that was 25.6-67.5% of the cultivated variety potential. Application of 4 t ha-1 of compost only slight affected the yield. But with higher compost application dose, a significant yield gain (greatest 56.88%) was observed, especially under favourable climatic conditions of 2020. The biggest beetroot average yield – from 22.5 to 27.7 t ha-1 – was also in 2020. In 2022, the average yield was from 21.5 to 24.3 t ha-1. By the study results, the applied organic technologies proved effective for producing potatoes and table beet in the North-West Russia.