EFFICIENCY OF MICROBIAL DESTRUCTORS OF AFTER HARVEST RESIDUES IN LABORATORY AND FIELD EXPERIMENTS
Currently, microbiological agents are used for more efficient and environmentally safe utilization of cereal straw. The annual gross harvest of it in Russia is more than 120 million tons. The agent is applied to crop residues before soil cultivation. However, in practice, it is often used without any scientific base. This research aims to assess the efficiency of several destructor agents to catalyze the decomposition of straw. The article highlights the impact of microbial agents (Barkon, Baikal ЭМ 1, Bags, Micobakt, Altasol) within field and lab tests on decomposition of winter wheat straw, spring triticale, barley and their yield. Research was conducted between 2012-2019 on soddy podzolic sandy loam soil (Vladimir oblast, pos. Vyatkino, trial field Russian Research Institute of Organic Fertilizers and Peat) and grey forest soil (Vladimir oblast, Yuryev-Polsky State breeding field). It has been established by experimental means that the destructor effect is quite short and visible during the initial period (1-2 months) of straw decomposition in soil. These bioagents show greater effectiveness under (in) laboratory conditions (favourable temperature and soil moisture) compared to field tests. Cereal straw, characterized by a high ratio C:N, does not provide sufficient nitrogen level for the metabolism of microorganisms with their high activity. Therefore, the maximum additive effect to the transformation of the organic matter of straw is noted when using both bioagents and mineral nitrogen. Yield increase for spring triticale on soddy podzolic soil is 1.4-1.7 dt/ha with Bags, for barley 2.7-3.6 dt/ha with Barkon and Mikobak respectively. Treatment of barley stubble with Altasol increases winter wheat yield by 3.3 dt/ha.