The main and strategic task of the agro-industrial complex of the Republic of Kazakhstan is increase in production of grain and provision of the national food security. Therefor the accelerated development of the grain economy and diversification of crop raising are the high priority tasks of the national agro-industrial complex. The main lines of agricultural development in conditions of the main rice-growing area – Kazakhstan Aral Sea region – are sustainable development of rice-raising and increase of rice crop yield. [Dobbelaere S, Vanderleyden J, Okon Y (2003), Bhattacharyya, P.N., and D.K. Jha. 2012, Biswas, J. C., J. K. Ladha, F. B. Dazzo, Y. G. Yanni, and B. G. Rolfe. 2000.]
Rice is an ancient culture of the Asian continent and an important food culture of the world. This culture is raised in 112 countries at the area of over 147 million ha, and the gross yield of grain in the last decades has been over 750 million ton. According to the forecast calculation made by the UN specialists, the gross yield of grain will increase by 7% by 2025 and will reach 780 million ton. That’s why the main food product for 4.6 – 5.0 billion people in the world will be rice grain; their well-being and sustainable demographic growth depends on increase of grain crop yield. Rice is raised in regular agricultural conditions and, therefore the grain crop yield can be significantly increased. Thanks to support being provided for rice selection and genetics by the governments of many countries of the world, currently there are high-yield, intensive sorts bred and introduced into production. Through the use of complex, integrated rice growing technology and its strict observance in conditions of Australia and Egypt, the average grain crop yield reached 102.9; 93.7 hundred kg/ha, in USA – 81.1 hundred kg/ha, Turkey – 79.3 hundred kg/ha, in China 65 – 68hundred kg/ha (at the area over 32 million ha). However, in many countries, including Kazakhstan Aral Sea region, such a high rice crop yield cannot be easily reached on a vast territory [Bottini, R., F. Cassán, and Piccoli, P. Gibberellin. 2004., Bockman OC, Kaarstad O, Lie OH, Richards I (1997)].
Due to drying out of the Aral Sea, deterioration of the environmental conditions of the Aral Sea region, increase of Syr-Darya river water mineralization and ground water rise because of poor drain and waste systems operation, the soil resalinization is increasing. The meadow-boggy soils have transformed into medium and highly saline soils and solonchaks. At the same time, not only geophysical and meteorological conditions have changed, but also biological and ecological balances have been disturbed. In Kyzylorda region, 80-85% out of 217 thou. ha of developed irrigated land are medium and highly saline, and 60 thou. ha have been withdrawn from agriculture and are not used due to salinity and bogginess.
Rice is an environmentally beneficial, strategically crucial culture and the economical basis for rice-planting economies. According to the scientifically grounded standards of the Institute of Nutrition of the National Academy of Science, the Republic of Kazakhstan (8.5kg per person), the necessary amount of rice in the Kazakhstan domestic market is 132.6 thou. ton. The rice-planting economies of Kyzylorda region significantly contribute to provision of the Kazakhstan population with rice grain, but at the same time, in 2017 – 2019, the export of rice increased by 28%.
However, the current critical ecological situation in Kazakhstan Aral Sea region forces rice growers to reduce the area of irrigated land occupied by rice. That’s why increase of rice crop yield is a relevant task. Solution of this problem is associated with profound and comprehensive study of the role of micronutrient fertilizers in the rice fertilization system in conditions of Kazakhstan Aral Sea region. In 2018, the scientists from the Kazakhstan I. Zhakhayev Rice-Growing Scientific Research Institute and Kyzylorda Korkyt-Ata State University conducted a study of the modern rice mineral nutrition technologies based on the use of soil, water, and plants diagnostic methods in Karaultobe experimental production farm in Kyzylorda region.
Nitrogen (N) is the main nutritious substance necessary for growth and development of plants. The search of environmentally friendly and cost efficient substitute for nitrogenous fertilizers is currently focused on endophytic diazotrophic bacteria, which, supposedly, are responsible for provision of biologically bound nitrogen N. Conceptually, endophytic bacteria improve plants growth, directly or indirectly, by lowering the level of ethylene in plants with the help of aminocyclopropane carboxylate (ACC) desaminase or by release of the main nutritious substances, such as N, P, Fe etc [Vessey, J.K. (2003), Hakeem KR, Ahmad A, Iqbal M, Gucel S, Ozturk M (2011)]
The necessity to prevent stresses and diseases requires improving of the fundamental processing methods aimed at creation of conditions for the best possible satisfaction of the biological demands of cultivated plants, as well as effective methods that allow controlling the processes of their growth, development, and immunity forming. There is much concern about preservation and recovery of soil fertility in conditions of intensive plant-growing technologies, frequently leading to ecological destabilization of farming ecosystems and, as a consequence, to economic instability [Dobbelaere S, Vanderleyden J, Okon Y (2003)].
Biological preparations and micronutrient fertilizers for plant protection are an environmentally safe alternative to chemical (synthetic) pesticides. Substitution of chemical pesticides with bio-preparations in agriculture and forest husbandry goes on not as quickly, as one can expect. In particular, this is due to the fact that product manufacturer like the speed and wide spectrum of chemicals effect.
As a rule, bio-fertilizers contain non-symbiotic organisms bound to the root surfaces, but they can also include endophytes, microorganisms that are capable of colonizing intercellular or even intracellular compartments of plant tissue without causing visible damage of the host plant. The concept of bio-fertilizers was developed based on the observation showing that microorganisms can have a beneficial effect on plants and crop yield growth.
The multiannual field and production experiments on testing these micronutrient fertilizers on grain cultures, potatoes, vegetable, fruit, berry, and flower cultures, held by scientists and manufacturers in different natural areas of Kazakhstan and abroad (Italy, Spain, China, Russia, Turkey, Vietnam) demonstrated the effects of stimulating the length and biomass of the root system to 15-20%, total biomass of plants to 20-25% and more, increase of crop yield to 20-30%. They improve plant survival in drought and eliminate shock status after zero tillage. It has been proved that there is a possibility to immunize treated plants and subsequently reduce the affection rate of various plantations with a number of infections transferred with seeds, through the soil, and by airborne transmission[Hakeem KR, Chandna R, Ahmad A, Iqbal M (2012a), Kennedy IR, Cocking EC (1997)].
In view of this, in 2016-2019 studies using the data of micronutrient fertilizers and preparations were held in field conditions at the premises of the Kazakh I. Zhakhayev Scientific Research Institute of Rice Growing.
In production fields, in plantations of recognized rice varieties “Marzhan” and “Yantar”, experiments on determination of the effectiveness of biological liquid micronutrient fertilizers NacLee and Fitop 8,67 were held. The studies were conducted in several variants with pre-sowing seed treatment, top dressing of the rice cultures during vegetation. The area of production experiments covered 14 ha. Accounting and observations in the experiments were held according to the commonly used methods.
The biological preparation Fitop 8.67 is the modern biological multifunctional preparation. It has a complex effect on cultivated plants, harmful organisms, and soil.
The preparation contains in equal proportion 3 strains of saprotrophic bacteria: acillus subtilis ВКПМ В 10641, B. amyloliquefaciens ВКПМ В 10642, B. amyloliquefaciens ВКПМ В 10643 from the collection of ООО Research and Production Company «Research Centre» produced in environmentally clean regions of Siberia and selected by authors-developers.
Fitop 8.67 has the following properties:
- stimulates growth of the root system, aerial portions, and total plant biomass;
- eliminates causative agents of plant diseases;
- increases the activity of soil microflora, purifies soil of disease causing microbes and improves its fertility;
- improves tolerance of plants to stress – winter and drought hardiness;
- as a result, it increases crop yield to 25-30%.
When bacilli in Fitop 8.67 are placed on a plant surface or into soil, they get involved into the rhizospheric and epiphytical plant microflora; there happens a certain modification of the environment, good both for the plant health, and for the health of animals and people that eat plant food.
The biological fertilizer Nacle is an environmentally safe liquid fertilizer –aimed at preservation and protection of the nature and ecosystem without causing harm to wild birds and animals. It has a lot of advantages, including soil nutrition and root dressing, which facilitate well-balanced growth, development of plants, and excellent fertilization and blooming. This is a natural, active, high concentration liquid fertilizer of absolutely new quality that allows increasing agricultural crop yield and the quality of various plants productivity.