Technological features of barley productivity increase in the forest-steppe of Western Siberia
Barley is a long-day drought-resistant plant that is fast-growing compared to wheat and oats. Barleycorn is rich in protein and valuable fiber. As a raw material, it is good for pearl and peeled barley, flour (mixed with wheat and rye) and feeds production, as well as for brewing (malt extract) and spirit industry. If barley cultivated in accordance with agrotechnology it can perform sustainable high grain yield. Our studies have shown that the chernozem soil in the forest-steppe of Western Siberia provides the highest yield (3.44 t/ha) and sustainable barley productivity with the use of resource-saving combined tillage system in combination with the integrated use of intensification means. The influence of production technique and grade composition on the state of agrophitocenosis and yield of grain was found. It was established that foreign varieties of barley (Beatrice, Xanadu) provides ecologically sound grain with reduced protein content (up to 11-12%), which meets the requirements of brewing industry. The study revealed that the application of resource-saving tillage techniques optimizes the density of topsoil up to 1.08-1.14 g/cm3, phytosanitary condition of agrophytocenosis worsens. The complex use of intensification means over the time contributes to the increase in the amount of plant residues on the field surface (1.4 times), reduces the deflation and water consumption of barley on average from 231 to 82 mm/ton or 2.8 times. The weediness of barley crops on the non-chemicalized variant was strong (29-40% of the biomass of agrophytocenosis) on all variants of soil treatment with the prevalence of bluegrass (54-61%) and root-offspring species (33-39%). The development of the constituent elements of barley productivity was significantly influenced by intensification means (up to 66%), while varietal characteristics were less significant - 56%. Rational use of intensification means when cultivating barley crops does not cause the accumulation of heavy metals and pesticides in the upper soil layer and the final product (grain).