The Effect of Fertilisation and Plant Care Practices on the Yield Structure of Black Currant

Abstract

The article is focused on the influence of fertilisation and plant care on the productivity of the black currant variety ‘Siuita Kyivska’. Black currant was planted on the Rodnikovka Experimental Farm of the Uman State Agrarian University. Better conditions for the development of such signs as the number of clusters per shrub and the length of a cluster were provided under the application of mineral fertilisation as a background and foliar application of fertiliser Riverm 5%, maintaining of interrow space as clean fallow and mulching plants in the row with straw. The best characteristics of clusters were obtained with N60P90K90 as background fertilisation. Foliar application of fertiliser Riverm 5% resulted in an increased (by 251.2−299.8) number of clusters per plant and longer (by 0.60−0.80 cm) clusters. A combination of clean fallow and application of Riverm 5% against the background of mineral fertilisation resulted in lower indicators of the fruit weight in a cluster compared to the control. This means that the yield structure of black currant under the effect of fertilisation and plant care changes towards an increase in the number of clusters, thereby reducing the number of fruits and the weight of fruits from one cluster. It was also found that foliar application of fertiliser Riverm 5% against the background of mineral fertilisation contrib- uted to an increase in the yield of black currant. In the treatment with clean fallow between rows and mulching plants in rows, application of fertiliser Riverm 3% or 5% against the background of mineral fertilisation N60P90K90, the yield of fruits was 13.1 t/ha.