THE INFLUENCE OF PLANT HILLING ON THE YIELD OF SPRING GARLIC
The results of studying the effect of plant hilling on the yield of spring garlic are presented. In the Central zone of Krasnodar region, the growth and ripening of bulbs of spring garlic occurs during a period of high temperatures. When the temperature rises above 30 °C, at the growth depth of the bulb, the formation and aging processes are accelerated. The bulbs of garlic in these conditions prematurely go into a state of biological dormancy. The size of the chives and bulbs remains shallow, the marketability and yield decreases. The quality and keeping quality of garlic is reduced. On non-irrigated plots, the application of hilling of garlic plants can significantly improve the temperature balance and create favorable conditions for bulb growth. Thanks to agronomic practice on the breeding site of spring varieties Yelenovsky and clone Us-601, bulbs were collected 210-350 kg more than in the control plots. The use of drip irrigation significantly increases the thermal conductivity of the soil. The temperature is more quickly redistributed along the soil profile, not reaching critical values in the bulb forming zone and zone of functioning of the main mass of the root system of garlic. The yield of irrigated garlic is much higher than the yield on the dry farming. The application of hilling does not provide a significant increase in yield. Watering eliminates the need for hilling of garlic plants.