RESULTS OF STUDIES ON ACCUMULATION OF CUT FRUIT WOOD IN INTENSIVE GARDENS OF KBR
The essential practice of collecting and burning wood is associated with high labor and cost costs, and the products of burning branches pose a threat to environmental pollution. However, the cleaning and disposal of cut wood material in orchards is a mandatory operation of the technological process of fruit production. Therefore, the problem of rational use of alienated fruit wood becomes urgent. In order to identify real stocks of cut wood and develop a technology for the utilization of branches, research was carried out on the growth of the «mass» of fruit wood from the beginning of the formation of the crown of fruit plantations to the first rejuvenating pruning, as well as varying the accumulation of branches depending on the age of the trees, for which the analysis of the logging of branches of apple varieties: Jonathan, Golden and Richard Delicious. It has been established that the accumulation of cut wood depending on the age of the plantations, starting from 3-year-old trees and up to 8-year-old trees (the first is rejuvenating pruning) can be described by the equation of the exponential function. The mass of the accumulation of branches on one hectare of the garden is calculated depending on the age of the fruit trees. The empirical and theoretical curves of the dependence of the accumulation of branches by years of pruning (age of stands) are graphically presented. The most acceptable, simple, effective and promising can be the use of cut branches in a fragmented form for mulching the soil. This will allow the accumulation and preservation of moisture in the soil, its enrichment with organic matter, elements of mineral nutrition, improvement of agrophysical properties and, ultimately, the involvement of the alienated wood in the cycle of substances without harm to the environment. The article is of interest to researchers, teachers and students of agricultural higher educational institutions, agribusiness specialists.