Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the main pulse crops cultivated mostly in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world, very often on saline lands. The problem is that it has not been clearly determined yet what is the safe salinity degree for obtaining uniform and vigorous sprouts of the crop without significant suppression in the parameters of initial growth and development. The goal of our study was to determine the effect of different NaCl concentrations in solutions on chickpea germination and initial growth to determine the safe degree of salinity for the crop cultivation. The study was carried out in greenhouse conditions of Kherson State Agrarian University. We studied the effect of five different gradually increasing degrees of NaCl solutions on the germination percentage and initial growth of chickpea (variety Rosanna, kabuli type) that was germinated in laboratory conditions in flasks filled with sand, at the temperature of 25 oC. A significant decrease in all the studied parameters was observed with the increase of salinity degree. However, we think that a considerable decrease of the crop germination and initial growth started with NaCl concentration of 1.79 g/L: germination percentage decreased by 33.9%, plant height – by 7.8 cm, root length – by 5.5 cm in comparison to the control variant (not saline conditions). Therefore, we conclude that the chickpea can be efficiently cultivated on slightly-saline lands. Besides, the results of linear regression analysis revealed that the most susceptible stage of chickpea growth and development is germination because this stage had strong close inter-connection with the degree of salinity. Further growth of the crop was less affected by the salinity stress. We recommend cultivation of chickpea on the saline lands only with a slight salinity level.

The article is devoted to study of the biological activity of soil under sweet corn crops depending on tillage depth, mineral fertilizers application rate with drip irrigation in the soil-ecological conditions of the Dry Steppe Zone of Ukraine. The plan of the experiment foresaw study of such factors: A -tillage depth (moldboard plowing on 20-22 and 28-30 cm); B -mineral fertilizers application rate (no fertilizers, N60P60, N120P120); C -plants density (35, 50, 65, 80 plants ha -1 ). We used water of the Ingulets irrigation system for irrigation. The water belongs to II quality class by agronomical criteria of the DSTU 2730-94 and its suitability for irrigation is limited. We studied the soil biological activity on variants with 65 plants ha -1 by the indicies of its respiration rate (method of V.I. Shtatnov) and linen decomposition degree ("application" method). At the same time we have made monitoring of the soil meliorative state depending on the moldboard plowing depth by the toxic salts content, anionic-cationic composition of the aqueous soil extract. The results of the laboratory-field experiments prove that the moldboard plowing depth , mineral fertilizers application rates and soil meliorative state have an influence on its biological activity. The maximum respiration rate, which is used to characterize an activity of the aerobic microflora of the upper soil layers, was at moldboard plowing on depth of 20-22 cm at non-fertilized experimental variant -250.0 mg СО2/m 2 ×hour. Increase of the tillage depth and mineral fertilizers application rate significantly decreased carbonic acid emission to the athmosphere, which was the minimum of 178.3 mg СО2/m 2 ×h. The maximum linen decomposition degree, which is used to characterize an activity of the cellulose-decomposing soil microflora, was at moldboard plowing depth of 28-30 cm at non-fertilized experimental variant -58.3%. The tillage depth changed cellulose-decomposing soil microflora activity insignificantly. Mineral fertilizers application at the maximum rate of N120P120 decreased cellulose-decomposing soil biota activity 1.7 times comparatively to non-fertilized variant. Higher toxic salts concentration (at 0.006-0.019 %), sodium ions content (at 0.15-0.38 mg-eq/100 g of soil) in the 0-50 cm layer led to decrease of the soil biological activity. We consider, that the best from the agroecological point of view is the variant with moldboard plowing depth of 28-30 cm, mineral fertilizers application rate N120P120. Key words: soil biological activity; soil meliorative state; mineral fertilizers application rate; tillage depth; sweet corn; drip irrigation Вплив обробітку ґрунту та мінеральних добрив на біологічну активність ґрунту під посівами кукурудзи цукрової П.В. Лиховид, С.О. Лавренко ДНВЗ Херсонський державний аграрний університет м. Херсон, вул. Стрітенська, 23, Україна E-mail: pavel.likhovid@gmail.com, lavrenko.sr@gmail.com Стаття присвячена вивченню біологічної активності ґрунту під посівами кукурудзи цукрової залежно від глибини обробітку ґ...

Chickpea is supposed to be a prospective crop for soil reclamation. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of tillage and humidification conditions on the chickpea desalination properties. The study was conducted by using the randomized split plot method in four replications during 2012-14 at the Agricultural Cooperative Farm «Radianska Zemlia» of Kherson region in Ukraine. The results of the study showed that the maximum salts uptake of 2.516 t ha -1 from the 0-50 cm soil layer and the maximum chickpea grain yield of 3.33 t ha -1 were provided under irrigated conditions with moldboard plowing on the depth of 28-30 cm. It was established that the higher chickpea grain yield is, the greater the salts uptake rate from the soil. It was also proven that the plowing depth has no significant effect on the chickpea grain yield and desalination properties. It should be mentioned that chickpea showed limited desalination properties. The crop was not able to adsorb all the sodium from the soil when irrigated with saline water.

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The water supply deficit requires agro-environmental rationale for the use of alternative water sources to feed agricultural crops, viz.: industrial wastes, municipal drains, farm animal waste, drainage and escape water of rice irrigation systems. We analyzed the quality of irrigation water from different sources, with regard to the content of cations, anions, water-soluble salts, power of hydrogen (рН), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), etc. in it. In the course of the greenhouse trial, we diagnosed its impact on the indicator crop (maize) (Zea mays L.) with its herbage crop stage of 10 leaves, supplied with water of varying quality. We proved the viability of improved drainage and escape water from rice irrigation systems in irrigated agriculture, owing to which maize herbage was diminished, on average, by 5.82%. We verified the negative impact of irrigation water, which contains the effluent disposals of metallurgical production, on croppers-it had contributed to diminishing the watered maize herb, on average, by 39.27%. A correlation analysis of the test data proved the closely interrelated feedback between the maize herbage amount and the content of cations, anions and water-soluble salts in irrigation water (coefficient of correlation r varied between 0.88 and 0.98). The worked-out linear regressive model for maize herbage, based on the content of water-soluble salts in irrigation water, together with SAR index (Y=2342.71-1.82×x 1 +366.78×x 2), affirmed the validity of the pattern, discovered by means of the correlation analysis.