Efficiency of foliar application and seed inoculation in chickpea cultivation in the conditions of the Trans-Volga dry steppe zone

Abstract

The article studied the effect of seed inoculation and the use of various schemes for the treatment of chickpea crops with liquid fertilizers on chickpea productivity, germination density and plant density in the phase of full ripeness in the conditions of the dry steppe Trans-Volga. Foliar top dressing was carried out with a tank mixture of fertilizers (Fitosporin M, Borogum-Molybdenum, Bionex-Kemi NPK 21:4:4 + ME together with an adhesive) against the background of seed treatment with inoculants Rizotorfin and RizoBash. The conclusion was made about the advantage of using RizoBash as an inoculant in comparison with Rizotorfin. Its application ensured germination at the level of 95.0%, while in the control it was 83.1%. The application of this inoculant provides an increase in the level of completeness of seedlings, which in turn determines the optimal plant density for harvesting. After  RizoBash application, it ranged from 91.8 to 96.2%, depending on the scheme of foliar application. The double treatment of crops in the phase of 3 leaves and the budding phase turned out to be more effective. It has been established that chickpea plants are responsive to the use of seed inoculation in conjunction with foliar treatments carried out during the growing season of plants, which is reflected in an increase in yield. With a double treatment of crops against the background of the inoculation of seeds with RizoBash, the highest yield was for all variants of the experiment - 1.73 t/ha.