YIELD AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF GROWING SUNFLOWER HYBRIDS OF DIFFERENT MATURITY GROUPS DEPENDING ON MICROFERTILIZER APPLICATION UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF THE WESTERN FOREST-STEPPE

Abstract

The article examines the impact of agrotechnical factors on sunflower yield under the soil and climatic conditions of the Western Forest-Steppe. An analysis of scientific research on the relevance of studying the impact of individual agrotechnical factors on sunflower seed yield formation in different zones of Ukraine is presented. Additionally, economic efficiency calculations were performed for cultivating sunflower hybrids of different maturity groups with foliar feeding applied at various stages of plant growth and development. The research aimed to determine the effect of foliar microfertilizer application on the yield of sunflower hybrids of different maturity groups under the conditions of the Western Forest-Steppe and to substantiate the economic viability of these agrotechnical practices. The experiment was accompanied by observations, measurements, and analyses in compliance with existing methodologies for establishing field trials and conducting analytical procedures. The following factors were investigated: Factor A – sunflower hybrid (Phenom (medium-early), NK Brio (medium-early), Valencia (medium-ripening), NK Kondi (medium-ripening)); Factor B – microfertilizer (Multicomplex StimOrganic, StimOrganic AminoMax, Avangard Complex Sunflower); Factor C – application timing (2-4 leaves stage, 2-4 leaves stage + 6-8 leaves stage), with a variant without foliar microfertilizer application used as a control. The effect of microfertilizers on the yield of various sunflower hybrids under single and double applications was substantiated. The maximum effect was achieved with the Multicomplex StimOrganic microfertilizer, the double application of which ensured the following sunflower yields across the hybrids: Valencia – 2.82 t/ha, NK Kondi – 2.79 t/ha, Phenom – 2.69 t/ha, and NK Brio – 2.57 t/ha. The optimal yield of 2.82 t/ha was recorded for the medium-ripening hybrid Valencia under double foliar application of the specified microfertilizer (2-4 leaves stage + 6-8 leaves stage). As a result of the research, a tendency toward an increase in the yield of all studied hybrids was established under double application at the 2-4 leaves stage and the 6-8 leaves stage. The economic viability of microfertilizer application in sunflower cultivation through single and double foliar applications at different stages of plant development was substantiated. The calculations indicate that the optimal conditional net profit of UAH 46,370/ ha and a profitability level of 142% were provided by the variant with double feeding of the Valencia hybrid using the Multicomplex StimOrganic microfertilizer.