Ratarstvo i Povrtarstvo (Jan 2010)
Results of a trial with hydrogel in cabbage production
Abstract
Different modes of hydrogel application were tested on yield and yield components in production of early cabbage on chernozem soil at Rimski Šančevi. Also, its effect on soil chemical properties, soil water-physical features and soil microbiological activity were observed. There were four variants in this trial: control - without hydrogel, gel - swelled hydrogel incorporated into planting holes, dust - dry hydrogel dust incorporated into planting holes, dust - dry hydrogel dust scattered on soil surface in bands and incorporated. As for the observed features (whole plant weight, head diameter and cabbage yield) statistically significant differences were found between gel and other variants. The highest yield was with gel (55.85 t ha-1) and lowest with bands (39.78 t ha-1). Cabbage yield in gel variant is higher than in control by 18.98%. Yield was insignificantly decreased (1.02%) in dust variant incorporated into planting holes as compared to control. Application of hydrogel did not significantly impact soil properties nor distribution of tested groups of microorganisms and activity of dehydrogenase enzymes. .
