Annotation

The effect of different rates of the new complex mineral fertilizer Nitroammophoska-M on the yielding capacity and biochemical composition of cauliflower in the Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine on dark gray podzolic loamy soils is studied for the first time.

A hybrid of cauliflower Brigantine F1 was taken as the subject of the research was. The scheme of the experiment included the following versions: 1) Control (without fertilizers); 2) Ammonium nitrate (N60) – background; 3) Background + N18P36K44; 4) Background + N36P72K88; 5) Background + N54P108K132; 6) Background + N77P144K176.

For two years of the research, a large diameter (20 and 21 cm) and weight of heads (910 and 1280 g) were obtained on the versions: Background + N36P72K88 and Background + N54P108K132, while in the control version (without fertilizers), these figures were the lowest and amounted to 14 cm and 650 g respectively.

Having applied the field-seeded method of growing cauliflower using the complex mineral fertilizer Nitroammophoska-M at the rate of 400 kg/ha (N36P72K88) and 600 kg/ha (N54P108K132), one obtained the high yielding capacity of cauliflower heads (58.3 and 62.9 t/ha), which exceeded the control (without fertilizers) by 19.1 and 23.7 t/ha respectively. It was found that the increased rates of Nitroammophoska-M fertilizers of 800 kg/ha (N77P144K176) did not contribute to a significant increase in yielding capacity as compared to the version 5 with the application of fertilizers at a rate of 600 kg/ha (N54P108K132).

The complex mineral fertilizer Nitroammophoska-M improved the quality of cauliflower heads, in particular, it provided the highest content of dry matter (10.3 %), total sugar (5.2 %), ascorbic acid (61.8 mg/100 g) in the version 5 Nitroammophoska-M at the rate of 600 kg/ha (N54P108K132). The content of nitrate nitrogen in all versions of the experiment did not exceed the maximum allowable concentration (400 mg/kg of wet weight).

There is a suggestion to apply a new complex mineral fertilizer Nitroammophoska-M at the rate of 600 kg/ha (N54P108K132) on the background of ammonium nitrate (175 kg/ha – N60) in order to obtain a high yielding capacity with good quality of cauliflower heads of the hybrid Brigantine F1. One should apply the field-seeded method of cultivation on dark gray podzolic soils in the Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine.