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The cultivation of legumes in Ukraine is key for agriculture and the economy, as they are strategic crops for food security, export potential and sustainable development of the agricultural sector. The study aimed to examine the current state of legume cultivation in Ukraine and identify the main aspects that determine their production. Gross harvest, yields, planted areas, export dynamics and prices of such legumes as soybeans, chickpeas, beans and peas for 2015-2023 were analysed to address the set aim. The results of the study showed the stability and potential growth of legume production in Ukraine. Despite changes in the level of soybean exports, production and processing from year to year, there is a general upward trend. In 2023, soybean exports reached a record high of 3.6 million tonnes, a significant increase from the lowest level in 2021, when only 1.4 million tonnes were exported. As for peas, chickpeas and beans, their production in Ukraine reflected fluctuating trends. Pea production peaked in 2018 at 755 thousand tonnes, chickpea production reached its highest level in 2021 (93.4 thousand tonnes), and beans in 2020 (65 thousand tonnes). In the period from 2021 to 2023, prices for legumes in Ukraine showed steady growth, with chickpeas at 21.6 thousand UAH/t, beans at 33-35 thousand UAH/t, and peas at 8.1 thousand UAH/t. The price dynamics of soybeans also showed an increase to the level of 17.2-17.4 thousand UAH/t. The strategic directions identified in the study point to the need to invest in research, technological progress and infrastructure to ensure sustainability in legume production

Research on the development of sustainable and productive methods of corn cultivation is becoming relevant due to the growing demand for food resources and the need to optimise agrotechnical processes. The study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of maize cultivation under different tillage methods. A field experiment was conducted to achieve this goal, phenological observations of corn plant development was made, and grain quality was studied. The results of the maize yield analysis show that ploughing to a depth of 30 cm produces the highest maize yield of 91.6 c/ha while disking to a depth of 15 cm results in the lowest yield of 80.6 c/ha. The study proved that the method of tillage affects grain quality indicators, in particular, the content of crude fibre, starch, protein and crude fat. Thus, when ploughing to a depth of 30 cm, the starch content in the grain was 70.9%, crude fibre – 2.12%, protein – 10.2%, and crude fat – 4.225%. The correlation and regression analysis showed that the coefficient of determination (R2) for tillage is about 0.9, which means that the model accurately describes the available data, and for grain quality indicators, R2 is in the range of 0.66-0.99, which also indicates a strong relationship between the factors under study. The practical significance of the research results is that they can serve as a basis for optimising the agronomic processes of maize cultivation to increase yields and improve grain quality

Agroecological substantiation of cereal crops cultivation technologies becomes especially relevant in conditions of insufficient moisture, as it requires sustainable and efficient agro-production systems that ensure high yields and preserve natural resources. The aim of the study is to determine the impact of nitrogen fertilisation on the growth and development of winter wheat in an arid climate. To achieve this goal, a field study was conducted at the fields of the Educational and Research Centre of Mykolaiv National Agrarian University to study mineral nutrition and the impact of different nitrogen rates on the structure and quality of winter wheat grain yield. The study found that increasing nitrogen fertiliser rates has a positive impact on crop growth and yield. The application of higher nitrogen rates, in particular N60 and N80 in spring fertilisation, increases plant height by 3.8 and 4.6 cm, respectively, compared to N30. In addition, a double increase in nitrogen fertiliser rates resulted in a 3.5% increase in the number of productive stems and a 13.6% increase in the weight of 1,000 seeds. Mineral fertilisers also had a significant impact on winter wheat yields, with Р30К30+N60 and Р30К30+N80 yielding 51.8 and 49.3 c/ha, respectively. The results of laboratory studies confirmed that nitrogen fertilizers in an increased amount lead to a decrease in the starch content in winter wheat grains, while simultaneously increasing the protein content. Correlation analysis showed a tendency to increase the yield of winter wheat with higher application of nitrogen fertilizers, however, in order to avoid deterioration of the quality of crop products, it is important to follow the recommendations. The practical significance of the obtained results lies in optimizing the cultivation of grain crops, as well as increasing their yield in conditions of limited water resources and the threat of drought

Agricultural producers use large quantities of mineral fertilisers and plant protection products, which leads to soil, seed and environmental pollution and reduces the profitability of production. Modern agriculture starts to shift its focus to biologisation, which includes the development and implementation of environmentally friendly alternative systems, the reduction of chemicals, the introduction of energy and resource-saving technologies, use of biological plant protection products and bio-organic fertilisers. The research aims to investigate the effectiveness of biological technologies for growing maize in an environmentally friendly way using various organic fertilisers. The following methods were used to study the new corn growing technology: analysis, synthesis, analogy, comparison, and generalisation; field and laboratory; calculation – assessment of economic and bioenergy efficiency. To study the effect of organic fertilisers of different biological origins on the assessment of the humus state of typical chernozems, field experiments were conducted to assess the impact on corn grain yield in the Ukrainian Steppe. After the application of organic fertiliser, the limits of organic carbon content in humus were 3.2-3.5%, humic acid 1.9-2.2%, and fulvic acid 0.7-1.0%. In the experimental samples of maize grain, the content of crude protein ranged from 13.5 to 14.0%, crude fat from 2.4 to 2.7%, crude fibre from 2.1 to 2.4%, crude ash from 1.3 to 1.7%, and nitrogen-free extractives from 64.7 to 67.4%, moisture from 12.0 to 14.9%. The grain yield in the control variant was 9.7 t/ha, and in the experimental plots, it was 11.5-13.4 t/ha. The data obtained can help in the development of biologically based maize cultivation technology following the ecological gradient of cultivation and yield with optimisation of the studied agrotechnical methods

In modern agricultural systems, the basis of cultivation technology and an important factor determining the yield and quality of high-oleic sunflower seeds is regulation of mineral fertilizer rates. Therefore, the determination of their influence on the productivity of the culture determines the relevance of the conducted research. The purpose of the study is to determine the optimal rates of mineral fertilizer application to increase the yield of high-oleic sunflower hybrids in non-irrigated conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine. To achieve the goal, a field study was conducted in the fields of the Mykolaiv State Agricultural Research Station of the Institute of Irrigated Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine. The subjects of the study are high-oleic sunflower hybrids Kadet, Hektor and Oplot, the originator of which is the V.Ya. Institute of Plant Breeding. Yuryev of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine. As a result of the study, it was found that when applying N90P90K60, the Kadet hybrid formed the largest diameter of the basket - 19.5 cm, under the same feeding conditions, the diameter of the basket in the Hektor and Oplot hybrids was 14.3 cm and 16.4 cm, respectively. The largest mass of 1000 seeds for the level of N90P90K60 fertilization was established in the hybrid Cadet – 59.8 g, and at the level of fertilization N30P40K30 the lowest mass of 1000 seeds – 41.7 g was formed in the hybrid Hector. In addition, in the high-oleic sunflower hybrid Kadet, the content of crude fat in seeds and oleic acid in oil was the highest compared to other hybrids in all variants of fertilization. The application of mineral fertilizers also affected the yield of high-oleic sunflower, so the yield of the Kadet hybrid was 24.1% higher with the application of N90P90K60, compared to the variant of application of N30P40K30, and the yield of the Hektor and Oplot hybrids was 33.3% and 28%, respectively, which makes it possible to state that the level provision of mineral fertilizers helps to increase crop productivity. The obtained results provide an opportunity to improve the technology of growing high-oleic sunflower under conditions of insufficient moisture, and the perspective of further research may be to study the effect of increased norms of each individual macroelement or their joint effect on the productivity and quality of the high-oleic sunflower crop

The relevance of research on the development of biotechnology for clonal micropropagation of plants of the family Lamiaceae Lindl. is determined by the need for mass production of healthy, pure-grade planting material for the establishment of industrial plantations and the expansion of areas of essential oil crops in Ukraine. The aim of the research was to develop biotechnological methods of clonal micropropagation of essential oil plants of the Lamiaceae family – Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Mentha x piperita L., Salvia officinalis L. and Monarda fistulosa L. The task of the research was to select optimal conditions for effective cultivation of plants of the Lamiaceae family at four stages of clonal micropropagation. The main methods of research: laboratory, field, analytical, mathematical and statistical. The optimal nutrient media for the induction of in vitro morphogenesis and the multiplication stage were determined based on the basic medium of Murashige and Skoog: for L. angustifolia supplemented with kinetin (1.0 mg/l) and gibberellic acid (1.0 mg/l), for M. x piperita – with 6-benzylaminopurine (1.0 mg/l) and gibberellic acid (0.1 mg/l), for S. officinalis – with 6-benzylaminopurine (1.0 mg/l) and IOLK (0.5 mg/l ), for M. fistulosa – 6-benzylaminopurine (1.0 mg/l) and β-indolyl-3-oleic acid (0.1 mg/l). At the stage of multiplication, it is advisable to carry out seven to eight cycles of cultivation. At the stage of rooting of microshoots, the most effective for all studied plant species was determined to be the Murashige and Skuga nutrient medium with a halved concentration of components, supplemented with β-indolyl-3-oleic acid (0.5 mg/l) and β-indolyl-3-acetic acid ( 0.5 mg/l). The optimal substrate for plant adaptation to in vivo conditions is peat: perlite in a volume ratio of 3:1. Incorporation of the developed biotechnology of clonal micropropagation into the seeding system of essential oil crops of the Lamiaceae family will allow to quickly obtain healthy pure-bred planting material and introduce new productive varieties into production

The quality of fruit of garden strawberries grown on technogenically contaminated soils has been assessed. The highest level of copper and zinc in the fruit was recorded after broadcasting the recommended quantity of the fertiliser N90P60K30. Introduction of the sorbent ameliorant GREENODIN GRAY reduced the content of copper and zinc in the strawberries by 39 and 59% respectively. Researching the early-ripening strawberry cultivars Olviya and Rozana Kyivska has revealed varietal differences in the fruit’s trace element composition. Thus, it can be considered that selection of the proper cultivar is another effective method of obtaining environmentally safe products. Both strawberry cultivars under study were characterised by intense translocation of Cu and Zn into fruit. However, the Rozana Kyivska fruit contained 3 times more copper than the cultivar Olviya did. The zinc level, too, was higher in the Rozana Kyivska fruit (by 1.5 times). When introducing the recommended quantity of the fertiliser N90P60K30, the following criteria for the potential storability and transportability of the Olviya berries were recorded: resistance to phytopathogens, dense consistency of a berry, and the dry matter content 10.08%. As a result, the Olviya berries had the longest shelf life – 7 days, when stored in cooling chambers at 0.5°С and relative air humidity 90%. The sugar-acid index in these samples had the maximum value 6.9%, but the amount of vitamin C was at a minimum. This research has become the basis for practical application of a technology of growing strawberries of the cultivar Olviya. The technology involves broadcasting the fertiliser N90P60K30 together with the sorbent ameliorant GREENODIN GRAY (500 kg/ha) during the primary tillage, and introduction of N45P30K15 with irrigation water. The resulting Olviya berries are resistant to diseases and phytopathogenic damage during storage, have high nutritional value, and are less likely to accumulate ecotoxicants. The yield of berries in the first year of using the plantation was 6,200–6,500kg/ha. The content of nitrates and heavy metals in the berries did not exceed the maximum permissible concentration.