The economic efficiency of the use of growth regulators in the cultivation of grain crops on different nutritional backgrounds in the arid conditions of the Eastern part of the Northern Steppe of Ukraine

Abstract

Goal. To determine the economic efficiency of the influence of growth regulators on the formation of winter wheat and spring barley grain productivity on different nutritional backgrounds. Methods. The research was carried out at the experimental field of the Donetsk State Agricultural Research Station of NAAS in 2021–2023 on 2 sources of nutrition: mineral (N30P30) and organic (biohumus — 1000 kg/ha). They studied 9 variants of the combinatorial action of the drugs Microhumin, Baikal, Biorytm, Ekostymul. The main method of research was field research, which was supplemented with analytical studies, measurements, calculations, and observations following generally accepted methods and recommendations in crop production. Statistical evaluation was performed with the help of the “Statistica” software. Results. It was established that the nutritional background had the greatest influence on the formation of economic indicators of winter wheat cultivation. So, on the mineral background of nutrition, the highest profitability of growing winter wheat was when using the preparations Microhumin (seed treatment) + Biorytm (spraying in the tillering phase) — 66.7%, with a yield of 4.5 t/ha. The organic nutrition background provided the highest profitability when using the preparations Microhumin (seed treatment) + Ekostymul (spraying in the tillering phase), which was 31.1%, with a yield of 3.5 t/ha. A similar trend was observed when calculating the indicators of the economic efficiency of growing spring barley. The mineral nutritional background contributed to the highest profitability when using the preparations Microhumin + Baikal (seed treatment) — 33.8%, with a yield of 3.6 t/ha. The organic basis with the use of the preparations Microhumin (seed treatment) + Ekostymul (spraying in the tillering phase) ensured profitability of 12.4%, with a yield of 3.0 t/ha. Conclusions. The use of the proposed elements of the technology of growing grain crops contributes to the formation of a sustainable harvest, increasing the level of profitability of grain production in the arid conditions of the Eastern part of the Northern Steppe.