EFFECT OF DRY MATTER AND SUGAR BEET SHOOT EXTRACT ON GROWTH AND PHOTOSYNTHETIC PIGMENT CONTENT IN LEAVES OF WINTER WHEAT

The application of allelochemicals in agriculture is often successfully used to control weeds, the spread of diseases and pests, and to mitigate the effects of continuous crop production and cultivar breeding. In our experiments, we evaluated the effect of dry matter and extract (4 and 8 g kg(-1) of soil) of sugar beet shoots (Beta vulgaris L. cv. Tatry) on the growth and content of photosynthetic pigments in the leaves of two varieties of wheat (Triticum aestivum L cvs. IS Spirella and IS Mandala). Due to the tested doses of dry matter (DM) and beet extracts (BE), we recorded a stimulating effect on the growth of both wheat varieties (increase in shoot length by 3.8-30.03% and fresh biomass by 30.4-158.3%). The application of DM increased the content of Chia (by 37.40% and 42.28%), Cblb (by 29.4% and 41.18%) and carotenoids (by 25.93% and 33.30%) in the leaves of cv. IS Mandala. There was also an increase in the content of Chla (by 54.84%) and Cblb (by 55.17%) in the leaves of the same variety due to a higher dose of BE. We did not notice any changes in the content of photosynthetic pigments in the case of cv. IS Spirella. The application of sugar beet shoots to the soil can be an alternative environmental strategy to increase the yield of summer wheat.