EFFECTIVENESS OF USING VARIOUS DOSES OF VERMICOMPOST IN THE PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY OF PLANTING MATERIAL OF BERRY CROPS IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE CENTRAL CISCAUCASIA

Abstract

The research on the topic was carried out in the Center of Horticulture and
Nursery Farming of Fruit and Berry Crops, located in the conditions of the educational and
experimental farm of the Stavropol State Agrarian University in 2022-2023. The high degree
of relevance of the chosen research area was due to a significant shortage of high-quality
planting material of berry crops, which was formed in the current difficult political and economic conditions. The inability to import a sufficient amount of high-quality planting material
of berry crops led to the need to improve existing technological approaches to growing seedlings of berry crops of domestic origin. For this purpose, experiments were carried out to determine the effectiveness of various concentrations of a new water-soluble vermicompost,
which was developed by employees of the departments of agrochemistry and plant physiology, as well as ecology and landscape construction of the Stavropol State Agrarian University,
in the technology of propagation by herbaceous cuttings of raspberry. The object of the study
was three raspberry varieties – Liachka, Oktavia and Yellow Giant. The subject of the research was the dose of root application of vermicompost. During the research, it was found
that the use of both doses of the studied organic fertilizer as root fertilizing in the technology
of the production of raspberry planting material, regardless of varietal features, ensured more
intensive plant development, increasing the rooting of semi-hardwood cuttings in regards to
the control without fertilizer by 10,7–15,8 %. In addition, the application of the studied doses
of vermicompost ensured a significant increase in the intensity of rhizogenesis in cuttings,
forming a significantly larger average number of roots relative to the control parameters on
average by 1,6–2,9 pcs. The comparative assessment of the studied fertilizer doses showed a
significant advantage in all considered parameters of the maximum fertilizer dose of 4 L/ha. The highest rates were observed in Oktavia variety, which showed an advantage over other
varieties in the share of standard seedlings of 3,6–9,1%.