Impact of Zeolites on Intensity of the Vital Processes of Hybrid Plants

Abstract

Studies were conducted to determine the effect of zeolite on plant life processes for the development of methods to increase their productivity and stability in difficult growing conditions. A tendency to phosphorus of soil was revealed at intensive technology of tomato cultivation in greenhouses. Studies, conducted at two test sites (in the Lower Volga region and the Western Caspian area) showed that as a result of systematic and unbalanced fertilization during the cultivation of greenhouse tomato, the content of mobile phosphorus increases to 302.7 mg/kg. Under conditions of elevated chlorides and sulphates, this worsens the growth of plant, contributes to the development and spread of infectious diseases (verticillosis - 0.23%, fusarium - 0.24%, late blight - 0.19%, tobacco mosaic virus - 0.05%). Studies have shown that tomato hybrids, containing new genetic constructs of resistance to the main fungal diseases and tobacco mosaic virus, do not provide absolute protection of organisms. The spread of diseases in the planting of hybrids is only lower by 5.7-7.8%. The positive effect of zeolite was revealed when appling into the soil at tomato cultivation. The scope of zeolite’s application in plant growing is expanding every year due to the unique properties of this natural mineral. It possesses not only the adsorbing ability, but also contains a complex of trace elements, which is necessary for the mineral nutrition of plants, improves the structure of the soil. However, an impact of zeolites on plant life processes is poorly understood. This direction opens up new opportunities in the development of technological methods for improving the mineral nutrition of hybrid plant forms in crop production. The use of zeolite in the normal 15 kg/m2 of greenhouse soil, the productivity of tomato increases to 12.1-19.3%.