Effectiveness of Organo-Mineral Humic Fertilizers with Localized Application in Southern Ukraine
Long-term research and field trials in farms of the Kherson region have confirmed the high effectiveness of organo-mineral humic fertilizers in the southern steppe zone of Ukraine.
Impact of Humic Fertilizers on Wheat Yield
The influence of humic fertilizers on spring and winter wheat yield was studied in field and production experiments. All experiments included an unfertilized control and a variant with granulated superphosphate at a rate of 40–50 kg/ha for pre-sowing application. Granulated superphosphate and organo-mineral humic fertilizer were applied using a grain seeder simultaneously with seed sowing. The results are presented in Table 1.
| Year and Location of Experiment | Grain Yield, c/ha | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Control | Granulated Superphosphate, 40–50 kg/ha | Humic Fertilizer, 2 l/ha | |
| Spring Wheat | |||
| 2015, Plot No.1 | 18.2 | 19.0 | 20.7 |
| 2016, Plot No.1 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 17.7 |
| 2017, Plot No.1 | 12.7 | 13.6 | 14.2 |
| Average Yield Increase | - | 1.0 | 2.6 |
| Winter Wheat | |||
| 2018–2019, Plot No.2 | 25.4 | 28.1 | 29.8 |
| 2019–2020, Plot No.3 | 19.3 | 20.8 | 21.8 |
| 2020–2021, Plot No.4 | 34.5 | 37.5 | 39.5 |
| Average Yield Increase | - | 2.4 | 3.8 |
| Note: Experiments in 2015 and 2020–2021 were conducted with moisture-charging irrigation. | |||
Table data show that winter wheat was more responsive to pre-sowing application of granulated superphosphate. The yield increase compared to the control was 6% for spring wheat and 9% for winter wheat. In variants with humic fertilizer, absolute yield increases were higher, reaching 17% and 14%, respectively.
Effectiveness on Irrigated Lands
High effectiveness of localized fertilizer application was observed in corn cultivation on irrigated lands. Results are presented in Tables 2 and 3.
| Year and Location of Experiment | Control | Granulated Superphosphate, 40–50 kg/ha | Humic Fertilizer, 2 l/ha |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015, Plot No.1 | 69.6 | 75.4 | 83.3 |
| 2016, Plot No.1 | 36.3 | 39.1 | 41.4 |
| 2020, Plot No.3 | 49.2 | 56.5 | 61.8 |
| Average Yield Increase | - | 4.9 | 9.1 |
| Year and Location of Experiment | Control | Granulated Superphosphate, 40–50 kg/ha | Humic Fertilizer, 2 l/ha |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019, Plot No.2 | 35.8 | 39.5 | 42.9 |
| Average Yield Increase | - | 4.9 | 9.1 |
Application of organo-mineral humic fertilizer provided almost double the yield increase compared to superphosphate.
Experiments with Other Crops
Experiments with peas, sugar beets, and sunflower conducted on Plot No.1 showed that mineral fertilizers and organo-mineral humic fertilizer were equally effective (Tables 4 and 5).
| Experiment Variants | Sunflower Yield, c/ha | Pea Grain Yield, c/ha |
|---|---|---|
| Control | 28.5 | 22.7 |
| Granulated Superphosphate, 50 kg/ha | 31.8 | 24.4 |
| Humic Fertilizer, 2 l/ha | 31.9 | 24.2 |
| Note: Sunflower experiments were conducted on irrigated plots. | ||
| Experiment Variants | 2018, Plot No.3 | 2019, Plot No.2 | 2021, Plot No.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control | 324 | 349 | 443 |
| NPK (Ammonium Nitrate 30 kg + Superphosphate 80 kg + Potassium Salt 20 kg/ha) | 375 | 406 | 490 |
| Humic Fertilizer, 1–2 l/ha | 391 | 403 | 495 |
When using organo-mineral humic fertilizer, 2–3 times less mineral fertilizers were applied. Although no additional yield increase was observed for sunflower, peas, and sugar beets, mineral fertilizers combined with humic fertilizer were used more efficiently.
Experiments with Potatoes and Vegetable Crops
Experiments with potatoes and transplanted vegetable crops showed that localized application of organo-mineral humic fertilizers during planting is a highly effective method for increasing yield (Table 6).
| Year and Location of Experiment | Yield, c/ha | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Control | Potassium Humate, 2 l/ha + N20P20 | Adept, 2 l/ha | |
| Potatoes | |||
| 2020, Plot No.1 | 166 | 193 | - |
| 2021, Plot No.1 | 139 | 153 | 156 |
| Tomatoes | |||
| 2016, Plot No.2 | 264 | 319 | - |
| 2017, Plot No.3 | 262 | 350 | - |
| 2018, Plot No.4 | 294 | 346 | - |
| 2018, Plot No.1 | 372 | 453 | - |
| 2021, Plot No.1 | 319 | 371 | 387 |
| Lettuce Pepper | |||
| 2020, Plot No.1 | 168 | 207 | - |
| 2021, Plot No.1 | 176 | 206 | - |
| Early Cabbage | |||
| 2020, Plot No.1 | 216 | 252 | - |
| 2021, Plot No.1 | 218 | 261 | 259 |
| Eggplants | |||
| 2020, Plot No.1 | 138 | 178 | - |
| 2021, Plot No.1 | 191 | 225 | - |
| Note: "-" — no data. | |||
Of particular interest are experiments with potatoes, tomatoes, and cabbage, where a variant with a mixture of 5 tons of manure, 1 quintal of ammonium sulfate, and 1 quintal of superphosphate was included. Despite applying 3–4 times more organic matter and 1.5 times more mineral fertilizers, the yield from this mixture and humic fertilizer was practically the same.
| Experiment Variants | Tomato Yield, c/ha | Cucumber Yield, c/ha |
|---|---|---|
| Control | 250 | 255 |
| Humic Fertilizer, 4 l/ha | 300 | 310 |
Table 7 data confirm that the application of humic fertilizer is an effective method for increasing vegetable crop yields.
| Year and Crop | Control | Adept, 2 l/ha | Mind, 2 l/ha |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019, Spring Wheat | 18.5 | 21.0 | 20.8 |
| 2020, Winter Wheat | 25.0 | 29.5 | 29.3 |
| 2021, Corn | 50.0 | 60.0 | 59.8 |
The results indicate that humic fertilizers Adept and Mind are equally effective regardless of the organic component.
| Crop | Control | Humic Fertilizer, 2 l/ha | Superphosphate + Ammonium Sulfate (NP Equivalent) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Wheat | 25.0 | 29.5 | 27.0 |
| Corn | 50.0 | 60.0 | 55.0 |
| Sugar Beet | 350 | 400 | 370 |
Humic fertilizer showed significant advantages compared to equivalent amounts of mineral fertilizers.
Impact on Product Quality
| Experiment Years | Crop | Indicator | Nutrient Content, % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control | Humic Fertilizer | |||
| 2014 | Spring Wheat | Protein | 16.1 | 17.0 |
| 2015 | Spring Wheat | Protein | 18.2 | 18.6 |
| 2019–2020 | Winter Wheat | Gluten | 25.1 | 28.6 |
| 2020–2021 | Winter Wheat | Gluten | 28.1 | 30.5 |
| 2016 | Corn | Protein | 11.6 | 11.7 |
| 2020 | Corn | Protein | 9.1 | 10.1 |
| Year | Protein Content, % |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 8.5 (Control), 9.0 (Humic Fertilizer) |
| Indicator | Year | Control | Humic Fertilizer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fat in Sunflower Seeds, % | 2019 | 45.0 | 46.9 |
| Fat in Sunflower Seeds, % | 2020 | 41.2 | 43.4 |
| Sugar in Sugar Beet Roots, % | 2018 | 17.7 | 18.2 |
| Sugar in Sugar Beet Roots, % | 2021 | 17.2 | 17.4 |
| Indicator | Year | Control | Humic Fertilizer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Matter in Juice, % | 2019 | 5.90 | 6.00 |
| Soluble Sugars, % | 2019 | 2.20 | 3.60 |
| Vitamin C, mg % | 2019 | 55.9 | 58.6 |
| Total Acidity, % | 2019 | 0.50 | 0.48 |
Under the influence of humic fertilizer, the content of protein, gluten, fat, sugars, and vitamin C increased, improving product quality.
| Crop | When Applied at Agronomic Norms | When Applied in Equivalent (NP) Norms |
|---|---|---|
| Spring Wheat | 1.0 | 2.6 |
| Winter Wheat | 2.4 | 3.8 |
| Corn (Grain) | 4.9 | 9.1 |
| Corn (Silage) | - | - |
| Sugar Beet | 61 | 66 |
| Potatoes | - | - |
| Tomatoes | - | - |
Table 15 data prove the feasibility of using mineral fertilizers in combination with humic preparations, as each liter of active substance is compensated by a significantly larger amount of product.
Conclusions
- Localized application of organo-mineral humic fertilizers during sowing and planting is an effective method for increasing the yield of vegetable, grain, and industrial crops in the southern steppe zone of Ukraine.
- Under the influence of humic fertilizers, not only yield but also product quality improves, increasing the content of protein, sugar, fat, and other valuable substances.
- The combined use of mineral and humic fertilizers is economically rational, as it allows for more intensive land use and more efficient consumption of mineral fertilizers.