INFLUENCE OF FIELD PROTECTION STRIPS ON THE DYNAMICS OF CORN GRAIN YIELD

Abstract

In modern realities, the agroforestry and amelioration infrastructure of shelterbelts in Ukraine demonstrates insufficient efficiency. This is confirmed by the low yield of agricultural crops in years with adverse climatic conditions. Given the consequences of global warming, almost every agricultural year becomes extreme, so the functional potential of shelterbelts can be significantly enhanced. At the same time, there are almost no studies today that would clarify the limits of the impact of shelterbelts on the yield of agricultural crops in the context of climate change. Therefore, the tasks we have proposed are of particular relevance. The aim of the work is to investigate the influence of the main and auxiliary windbreak forest belts on the yield of corn grain depending on the distance of the plantations. The types of forest belts (main, auxiliary) adjacent to corn crops were determined, their biometric characteristics: the number of rows, the distance of trees in the rows and between the rows, the height of trees and the girth of the trunk. The dynamics of density, height, indicators of individual productivity were established: the number of heads per plant, their height and diameter, and the yield of corn grain at different distances from the main and auxiliary forest belts. The highest corn grain yield was recorded at a distance of 300 meters from the main windbreak forest strip, which is 21.0 % higher than at a distance of 500 meters. Consistently high yield results were observed in the zone 100–300 meters from the main forest strip. On average, corn yield near the main forest strip was 22.6 % higher compared to areas near the auxiliary windbreak forest strip. The maximum grain yield near the auxiliary forest strip was recorded at a distance of 100 meters, after which a gradual decrease in this indicator was observed.