The comparative yield of large-herb plants when growing in the Middle Urals

Abstract

Abstract. The purpose of the research is to isolate species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants that are promising for the tasks of accelerating the sequestration of atmospheric carbon, resistant to local soil and climatic conditions and having high productivity from the collection fund of the botanical garden of the Ural Federal University. Methods. The article presents data on the productivity of four types of herbaceous plants: Amaranthus caudatus L., Amaranthus cruentus L., Polygonum weyrichii F. Schmidt and Echinops sphaerocephalus L., grown in the botanical garden. All the research objects were grown under the same conditions. Productivity was measured at the beginning of September. The data were processed using standard statistical methods. Results. It was revealed that the plants P. weyrichii is the most productive in terms of both fresh and dry yield. The yield of the P. weyrichii increases in years with sufficiently high moisture content. Aridity and high summer temperatures have a negative impact on the growth of the P. weyrichii. Amaranths gain a large aboveground mass due to their belonging to the group with the C4 type of photosynthesis. High summer temperatures have a positive effect on the growth and development of amaranths, while correlations with the amount of precipitation are statistically insignificant. The plants E. sphaerocephalus showed average values for productivity and requires further study. It is recommended to grow the plants P. weyrichii in a sufficiently humid area. Amaranth, being a drought-resistant plant, is highly productive in any years, especially in years with the value of the hydrothermal coefficient (HTC) less than 1.0. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the features of the cultivation of the studied crops are considered not only for forage purposes but also from the point of view of atmospheric carbon deposition and cultivation on potential carbon farms in the changing climate of the region.