Agrology (Nov 2022)
Optimization of agrotechnical practices of growing plants of the Malva genus
Abstract
There is practically no information on the dynamics of changes in the morphological traits of plants of the Malva genus during cultivation, although such information is very important in terms of understanding the patterns of yield formation of this crop. The study revealed the influence of row spacing and plant spacing on the dynamics of morphological traits during the growing season. We found that during the study period, the number of flowers on mallow plants decreased throughout the year. The dynamics of decrease in the number of flowers during the year practically did not depend on the distance between plants. The year factor was shown to be more important for the dynamics of the process than the distance between plants. During the study period, the total mass of flowers on the mallow plants decreased throughout the year. The dynamics of the process depended on the row spacing. The annual differences between the regression coefficients between the variants with different row spacing were not significant, indicating that the year factor was more important in identifying the dynamics of reduction of flower weight than the row spacing factor. The dynamics of the process of flower weight reduction during the year depended on the distance between plants. Differences between the variants of row spacing in terms of the dynamics of the changes in flower weight during the year were significant in 2020 and 2021, and practically no differences were seen in 2022. During the study period, the weight of one flower on the mallow plants decreased during the year. The dynamics of the process depended on the row spacing. The aboveground organs of mallow demonstrated significant growth intensity during the first 20 days after the onset of the five-leaf stage, after which plant growth stabilized. During this period, the mass of leaves, the number of flowers and the mass of buds grew especially intensively. By day 40, the weight of the plant as a whole and the weight of the fruit usually reach their maximum. The mass of buds, the number of flowers and the mass of leaves exhibited fluctuating dynamics during the observation period. Interannual differences between the morphological parameters were insignificant, with the exception of the number and weight of the fruits. Differences in these indicators over the years can reach 10 times.
