Scientific Reports of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine

The effect of preventive treatments with biological preparations on maize productivity

Andrii Naumenko, Vitalii Kovalenko
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Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of different preventive protection schemes on the phytosanitary condition of the crop, plant growth, yield formation, and grain quality under moisture-deficit conditions. The study used analysis of variance, the method of averages, the method for estimating the mean error, and the method for determining the least significant difference. The results show that chemical protection restricted the development of harmful organisms most strongly: root rot development decreased from 18.6% to 5.1%, leaf spots – from 22.4% to 6.3%, and damage by the European corn borer – from 21.7% to 4.1%. Technical efficacy reached 74.8% against diseases and 81.2% against pests. Biological protection was accompanied by a higher level of preservation of predatory arthropods and actinomycetes, at 54.1%, and by 57.6% when biological preparations were combined with a growth stimulant, compared with 16.3% under the chemical scheme. The combined biological variant showed better biometric parameters: field germination was 90.2%, plant height – 229.4 cm, leaf surface area – 47.6 dm², and chlorophyll content – 47.2 units. In the yield structure of this variant, ear length reached 20.7 cm, average ear mass – 238.0 g, the number of grains per ear – 694, and the 1000-grain mass – 332 g. Grain yield increased from 13.68 to 15.88 t/ha, and yield preservation was 16.1%. Grain quality also improved: test weight increased from 712 to 733 g/l, protein content – from 8.6% to 9.1%, and the proportion of filled grain – from 84.2% to 90.6%, whereas the proportion of damaged grain decreased from 9.8% to 5.0%. The practical value of the study lies in the possibility of using its results by agronomists, farmers, plant-protection consultants, and researchers when choosing preventive schemes for maize cultivation under dry conditions.

Keywords

growth stimulant; yield; root rots; leaf spots; biological protection

Suggested citation
Naumenko, A., & Kovalenko, V. (2026). The effect of preventive treatments with biological preparations on maize productivity. Scientific Reports of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, 22(3),22-44. https://doi.org/10.31548/dopovidi/3.2026.22
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