Agroecological aspects of zonal application of fertilizers and pesticides in wheat cultivation in the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine
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Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beet NAAS, 25 Klinichna St., Kyiv, Ukraine
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Institute of Agroecology and Environmental Management of NAAS, 12 Metrolohichna St., Kyiv, 03113, Ukraine
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Uman National University of Horticulture, 1 Instytutska St., Uman, 20305, Ukraine
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Oleh Prysiazhniuk
Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beet NAAS, 25 Klinichna St., Kyiv, Ukraine
Ecol. Eng. Environ. Technol. 2025; 5
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ABSTRACT
The article examines the efficiency of wheat cultivation in the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine in the Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Poltava, Sumy, Ternopil, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernivtsi regions, during 2020-2024. It was determined that the total contribution of the Forest-Steppe region to winter wheat cultivation accounts for 40.5% of the total wheat area in Ukraine as of 2024, or 36.4% on average over the observation years. The highest wheat yields were recorded in Khmelnytskyi (5.85 t/ha), Ternopil (5.50 t/ha), Sumy (5.19 t/ha), Cherkasy (5.15 t/ha), and Vinnytsia (5.00 t/ha) regions. It was also determined that regions with higher wheat yields had greater nitrogen uptake, especially in Ternopil (182.5 kg/ha) and Khmelnytskyi (194.3 kg/ha) regions. The highest phosphorus removal was observed in Ternopil (72.7 kg/ha) and Khmelnytskyi (77.4 kg/ha) regions. The highest potassium uptake was recorded in Cherkasy (107.8 kg/ha), Sumy (108.1 kg/ha), Ternopil (115.0 kg/ha), and Khmelnytskyi (122.5 kg/ha) regions. This indicates a deficient balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, with wheat plants depleting soil reserves to meet their nutrient demands. On average, in the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine, nitrogen losses amount to 84.6 kg/ha, phosphorus losses to 52.0 kg/ha, and potassium losses to 90.6 kg/ha. Across Ukraine as a whole, over the past five years, the negative balance of these nutrients has been better by 12.4 kg/ha for nitrogen, 9.1 kg/ha for phosphorus, and 12.4 kg/ha for potassium. The highest fungicide application rates were recorded in Vinnytsia (352 g/ha), Sumy (360 g/ha), Kyiv (377 g/ha), and Khmelnytskyi (387 g/ha) regions. The highest herbicide usage was observed in Ternopil (161 g/ha), Kyiv (173 g/ha), Chernivtsi (187 g/ha), and Khmelnytskyi (188 g/ha) regions, while the lowest was in Poltava (81 g/ha) region. The highest insecticide load on agroecosystems was recorded in Ternopil (108 g/ha) and Khmelnytskyi (95 g/ha) regions, while the lowest application was observed in Poltava (53 g/ha), Chernivtsi (56 g/ha), and Kharkiv (58 g/ha) regions. The highest application of growth regulators was identified in Kyiv (83 g/ha), Vinnytsia (98 g/ha), Khmelnytskyi (102 g/ha), and Ternopil (104 g/ha) regions. The lowest application rates were recorded in Poltava (31 g/ha) and Kharkiv (20 g/ha) regions.