Rational use of fertilizers for spring rapeseed in the forest-steppe of the Central Federal District of Russia

The article presents the results of 2023-2024 study on the effect of fertilizers on the yield of oil seeds, vegetable oil and feed protein in spring rapeseed of the ‘Forpost KL’ cultivar as well as on the economic efficiency of its cultivation technology in the Lipetsk region (in the forest-steppe zone of the Central Federal District of the Russian Federation). The field experiment variants were as follows: control – without fertilizers; N 40 + foliar fertilization (FF); N 60 + FF; N 40 P 40 K 40 ; N 80 P 80 K 80 ; N 40 P 40 K 40 + N 40 ; N 40 P 40 K 40 + N 40 + FF; N 40 P 40 K 40 + FF, N 80 P 80 K 80 + N 40 + FF. Complete mineral fertilizer was applied in autumn before plowing; nitrogen fertilizer was applied in spring before pre-sowing cultivation. Biostim Maslichny at a dose of 2.0 l/ha was used for foliar fertilization during the period between spring rapeseed stem extension and the beginning of budding. The soil of the experimental plot was heavy loamy leached chernozem. On average, over the years of the research, the seed yield of spring rapeseed cultivated without fertilizers was 1.80 t/ha, increasing by a statistically significant 0.26–0.74 t/ha when fertilizers were applied. The maximum values were obtained through agricultural practices involving the application of N 80 P 80 K 80 (2.38 t/ha), N 40 P 40 K 40 + N 40 + FF (2.42 t/ha) and N 80 P 80 K 80 + N 40 + FF (2.54 t/ha). These variants also yielded the highest oil and protein per-hectare yields (1049–1082 kg/ha and 611–668 kg/ha, respectively). However, the highest net income (33,720 rubles/ha), profitability (94 %) and low cost per ton of oil seeds (15,446 rubles) were achieved using a spring rapeseed cultivation technology with the yield of 2.32 t/ha, which involved applying N 40 P 40 K 40 in autumn before plowing and carrying out foliar fertilization with the organic-mineral fertilizer Biostim Maslichny.