Response of spring vetch (Vicia sativa L.) to organic production conditions

Natalia Georgieva, Ivelina Nikolova and Grozi Delchev

Abstract: Application of organic farming principles requires a change in the conventional technologies used so far. With an aim to evaluate the responsiveness of spring vetch (presented by cultivars Obrazets 666 and Tempo) to organic production conditions during the period 2012–2014, at the Institute of forage crops, was carried a field trial. The organic production system included four variants: cultivation under natural soil fertility and alone/combined treatment with organic products (foliar fertilizer Biofa, plant regulator Polyversum, bioinsecticide Neem Azal T/S). Control of the organic system was a variant with conventional cultivation and use of synthetic products (foliar fertilizerMasterblend, plant growth regulator Flordimex 420 and insecticide Nurelle D). The grain productivity of spring vetch grown under four variants of organic production was 31.9% lower than that obtained under conventional production. The use of triple combination (Biofa + Polyversum + NeemAzal) showed the highest stability of yield. The stability of this variant exceeded the stability of conventional vetch production. Compared to cultivar Tempo, cultivar Obrazets 666 responded to a greater extent to the application of organic products, but had lower stability of grain yield. In addition, the treatment with Neem Azal, as well as its combination with Biofa and Polyversum, had significantly higher efficacy (against Acyrthosiphon pisum) in cultivar Obrazets 666, than in cultivar Tempo.

Keywords: organic production; responsiveness; stability; vetch

Date published: 2020-06-29