EFFECTIVENESS OF ORGANIC TECHNOLOGY ELEMENTS IN CARROT CULTIVATION IN THE FOREST-STEPPE OF UKRAINE

Objective – To determine the effectiveness of various plant nutrition optimization systems for carrot cultivation in the Forest-Steppe conditions of Ukraine using organic technology. Methods. The research was conducted in 2024–2025 at the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing, NAAS of Ukraine. Carrots of the Nantskaya Kharkivska variety were grown in a vegetable-feed crop rotation with drip irrigation. The experiment included four variants of nutrition optimization systems: control (no fertilizer), local application of mineral fertilizers (N30P30K30) as a benchmark for intensive technology, the use of microbial preparations (Groundfix, Azotofit, Organic Balance, HelpRost vegetable) for fertigation and foliar feeding, seed treatment with the Mycofriend preparation, and further use of humic preparations such as Humifrend for fertigation and foliar feeding. Results. Biometric indicators of carrots (plant height, leaf number) increased due to the use of biological nutrition optimization systems. The highest growth in height was achieved by using the complex of microbial preparations (Groundfix, Azotofit, Organic Balance). The total carrot yield with the combined use of microbial preparations reached 28.8 t/ha, which is 7.7 t/ha more than the control, while the marketable yield was 23.6 t/ha. Application of mineral fertilizers at the rate of N30P30K30 increased the yield to 27.1 t/ha and marketable yield to 22.3 t/ha, but it did not achieve results as high as those from biological systems. Conclusions. Biological nutrition optimization systems using microbial preparations and biofertilizers showed a positive effect on carrot growth and productivity, comparable to mineral fertilizers (N30P30K30). The maximum effect was obtained with the system using Groundfix (5 t/ha) during pre-sowing cultivation, the first fertigation with Azotofit (1 t/ha), the second fertigation with Organic Balance (1.5 t/ha), and two foliar feedings with HelpRost vegetable fertilizer (2 t/ha each) during the 3–4 true leaf phase and 25 days after the first treatment. This system significantly increased the carrot plant height by 5.3 cm (18.0%) relative to the control and by 4.2 cm (13.7%) compared to the benchmark mineral fertilizer application. Additionally, total carrot yield increased by 7.7 t/ha or 36.5% relative to the control.