UDC 633.174:631.5
DOI 10.36461/NP.2025.75.3.010

TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF GRAIN SORGHUM PRODUCTIVITY IN LIGHT CHESTNUT SOIL SUBZONE OF THE LOWER VOLGA REGION
M.I. Rokotyansky¹, postgraduate; A.N. Sarychev¹, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor;
O.V. Reznikova¹, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor;
S.N. Zhakova², Candidate of Biological Sciences, Associate Professor
¹Volgograd State Agricultural University Volgograd, Russia, tel. 8(8442) 41-12-22, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
²Perm State Agro-Technological University named after Academician D.N. Pryanishnikov
Perm, Russia, tel. 8(342) 217-94-35, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Volga-Don interfluve is a developed agricultural region, however, it is considered a dryland region, as the limiting factor here is availability of moisture. Efficient agricultural production is possible by introducing drought-resistant crops into crop rotation, e.g. grain sorghum, which has great potential for this region.
The research was carried out at Volgograd State Agricultural University's experimental plot in the Faculty of Agricultural Biotechnology to improve the cultivation technology of sorghum hybrids Bianka, Albanus, and Ataman. Field experiments were laid in the light chestnut soil subzone according to the VIR (Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry) methods and the methods of State variety testing of agricultural crops.
It was observed that the length of the growing season of the examined hybrids was directly dependent on meteorological conditions and the method of applying organomineral fertilizers. The length of the growing season varied from 116 to 135 days.
Growth regulators used for seed treatment increased their germination. Fertigrain Start Plus demonstrated the best results. The Bianka hybrid also had the highest seed germination rate of 88.7%.
Double foliar treatment of sorghum crops ensure better survival until full maturity. The use of seed foliar treatment resulted in the highest survival rates, ranging from 81.1% to 89.4%, depending on the hybrid. Separate treatment was less effective, ranging from 77.7% to 88.7%. Varieties without any treatment had the lowest survival rates, at 76.1%.
Grain sorghum yield is determined by a number of factors: the hybrid's biological characteristics, the use of growth regulators and organomineral fertilizers, and weather conditions. It was noticed that the combined use of Fertigrain could help farmers to achieve high yields. The average grain yield over three years for the Ataman hybrid was 1.91 t/ha, for the Bianka hybrid – 1.98 t/ha, and for the Albanus hybrid – 1.84 t/ha.
Keywords: grain sorghum, light chestnut soils, growth regulator, organomineral fertilizer, potassium humate.

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