EFFECT OF IRRIGATION ON THE GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY OF WINTER WHEAT

Abstract

For the production of high-quality winter wheat, the conditions of the Right Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine are the most favorable. However, due to insufficient and unstable moisture, obtaining sustainable crops of winter wheat is possible only at the expense of irrigation. The article examines the influence of different irrigation regimes on the growth, development and productivity of winter wheat. Since precipitation is the main source of moisture during the growing season of winter wheat, an analysis of weather conditions for 2020–2022 was conducted. It has been established that the growing seasons in the years of research differ greatly in the amount of precipitation, their distribution in time, and the temperature regime. In some months, decades or days, soil and atmospheric drought occurred. It has been proven that the intensity of meteorological factors is one of the reasons that negatively affects the growth, development and productivity of winter wheat. Therefore, it is necessary to use irrigation technologies to protect plants from the harmful effects of high air temperatures, soil and air droughts. It has been established that irrigation improves plant survival, general and productive bushiness, increases the mass of grains in the ear, the nature of the grain, the alignment and germination of seeds. The combination of moisture-charging irrigation with vegetation irrigation makes it possible to obtain winter wheat yields at the level of 5.01 t/ha. Replacing moisture-charge irrigation with post-sowing irrigation provides a yield of 4.97 t/ha, saving 23% of irrigation water.