PLANT SURVIVAL AND DYNAMICS OF DRY MATTER ACCUMULATION IN CALENDULA OFFICINALIS CROPS DEPENDING ON THE APPLICATION OF GROWTH REGULATORS

Abstract

Calendula officinalis L. is a valuable medicinal plant widely used in both official and folk medicine in Ukraine and Europe. The medicinal raw material of the plant consists of inflorescences, which are characterized by anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, hypotensive, sedative, cardiotonic, and other properties. The article considers certain aspects of cultivating calendula officinalis, taking into account the influence of varietal characteristics and methods of applying plant growth regulators. In addition, the results of studies conducted by the scientific community on the impact of the main agrotechnical measures in calendula cultivation under different soil and climatic conditions of Ukraine are presented. The purpose of our research was to determine the influence of methods of applying growth regulators on the growth and development of plants of different calendula varieties when grown under the conditions of the Western Forest-Steppe. A two-factor experiment was established, where factor A was the plant growth regulator (no treatment – control, Ivin, Avangard Stimul, Azotofit R), and factor C was the method of application (seed treatment, crop spraying). As a result of the conducted records and observations, it was found that pre-sowing seed treatment with growth regulators increased the germination of calendula officinalis by 2–4 %. All studied preparations affected this indicator to varying degrees. The optimal field germination rate of seeds (90 %) was observed in the variant with pre-sowing seed treatment using the growth regulator Ivin, which exceeded the control by 4 %. The highest plant survival rates were recorded in two variants: spraying crops with the growth regulator Azotofit R and seed treatment with Ivin, with indicators of 95 % and 94 %, respectively, which exceeded the control by 6 % and 4 %. Optimal indicators of dry matter accumulation in calendula officinalis crops were observed at the beginning of plant senescence, with values ranging from 0.72 to 0.96 kg/m2. The best results were obtained with the preparations Azotofit R and Ivin.