GRAIN SORGHUM CULTIVATION ON ACID SOILS IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE TRANSCARPATIA REGION

The work aims to conduct production field research to determine the potential yield level of grain sorghum on acidic soils, as well as work out the generally accepted basic elements of cultivation technology with its subsequent cultivation in the Zakarpattia region.Materials and methods. In 2023, the production range for growing grain sorghum at Karpatiagroproduct LLC was located in the lowland zone of Uzhgorod district, Zakarpattia region. The article describes agrotechnical operations related to soil cultivation, application of fertilizers and plant protection products that were used in the farm, the main of which was the application of mineral fertilizer diammonium phosphate (NP 18:46) at the rate of 160 kg during sowing. The sowing rate was 165,000 seeds per hectare with a row width of 37 sm.Results. Sorghum is not picky about soils, so it can grow on both clay and sandy soils. The landfill where sorghum was grown is characterized by a low content of mobile phosphorus (6.33 mg/kg), a very low content of total nitrogen (N-NO3- + N-NH4+ – 8.92 mg/kg). According to the degree of acidity, the soil belongs to a very acidic soil (the hydrogen index of the saline extract of the soil is 4.08).In the economic conditions of 2023, the yield of sorghum grain hybrid Iceberg was 4.4 t/ha, which is 1.0 t/ha more than the average yield of sorghum in Ukraine over the past 10 years. Taking into account the genetic potential of this crop and the sufficient level of moisture supply of the territory, the level of the sorghum harvest should be twice as large. Because sorghum is not recommended to be grown on acidic, waterlogged soils with a close occurrence of groundwater, the underachieved level of the harvest to some extent may be related to this. In addition, the low content of mobile phosphorus and very low content of available nitrogen, which is characteristic of acidic clay soils, to some extent negatively affected the processes of crop yield formation.Conclusions. The obtained sorghum yield at Karpatiagroproduct LLC - 4.4 t/ha is lower than the average yield in Italy, by 2.6 t/ha, and in France - by 0.6 t/ha. However, it was in the territory of Ukraine that the record yield of sorghum in the world was obtained - 14.43 t/ha, which testifies to the high potential of grain sorghum and the unlimited potential of scientific and industrial research to reveal the genetic expression of this crop.Keywords: grain sorghum, yield, soil pH, «Iceberg» hybrid, agricultural technology.