Figure 1
Figure 2
Average content of nutrients in the soil (layer 0–30 cm) and the categorisation, determined according to the Mehlich III methodology, stated at the end of the experiment_
| treatment / parameter | Nt mg/kg | P mg/kg | K mg/kg | Ca mg/kg | Mg mg/kg | pH | C-ox % | humus % | C/N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPK | 1174 very low | 101.2 midle | 118.2 low | 3,220.6 middle | 506.1 very high | 6.88 neutral | 1.850 | 3.188 middle | 15.8 |
| HUMAC Agro | 1,510 high | 49.2 low | 140.3 slight | 3,747.5 High | 359.7 very high | 6.88 neutral | 1.087 | 1.873 low | 7.2 |
| Control | 1082 low | 77.4 slight | 92.2 low | 3465.1 high | 290.6 high | 6.99 neutral | 1.443 | 2.487 midle | 13.4 |
Dosage rate of mineral nutrients NPK (ox_ f_) and humic preparation HUMAC Agro per plots monitored in kg/ha_
| treatment / soil amendment | NPK | HUMAC Agro | untreated CONTROL |
|---|---|---|---|
| NPK (nutrient content ratio 15:15:15%, P and K in oxide form) | 200 | 0 | 0 |
| HUMAC Agro (content 62% of humic acids) | 0 | 250 | 0 |
Qualitative indicators of phytomass of milk thistle above ground level according treatments, results in 100% dry matter (heating value at the listed analytical moisture content)_
| treatment / parameter | ADF, % | ADL, % | CrC, % | HeC, % | NDF, % | heating value J/g (moisture, %) | combustion heat, J/g | phytomass above ground level without inflorescence, g/ha | energy yield, GJ/ha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPK | 59.88 | 10.25 | 49.63 | 4.55 | 64.43 | 16,123 (6.83) | 16,290 | 2,863,628 | 46.649 |
| HUMAC Agro | 56.24 | 7.74 | 48.49 | 4.88 | 61.13 | 16,055 (7.20) | 16,227 | 1,349,254 | 21.894 |
| Control | 60.36 | 8.31 | 52.05 | 4.81 | 65.17 | 16,142 (6.62) | 16,306 | 276,232 | 4.504 |
Photosynthesis rate (PHR, mmol/m2/s1), photosynthetic active radiation (FAR, mmol/m2/s1) and accompanying parameters of the sequences tested_
| treatment / parameter | the sequence of temperature | the sequence of light (FAR) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAR | CO2, vpm | range of temperature, ° C | average temperature, ° C | PHR | temperature, ° C | CO2, vpm | range of FAR | average FAR | PHR | |
| NPK | 608 | 402 | 20.3–38.8 | 27.6 | 10.933 | 30.3 | 408 | 0–1,304 | 484 | 7.813 |
| HUMAC Agro | 608 | 399 | 20.3–38.8 | 27.6 | 16.386 | 30.3 | 403 | 0–1,304 | 509 | 9.653 |
| Control | 608 | 378 | 20.4–38.3 | 27.7 | 20.115 | 30.2 | 381 | 0–1,304 | 502 | 12.386 |
Content (%) of the components of silimarin complex in seeds of milk thistle_
| treatment / parameter | SC | SD | SB A | SB B | ISB A | ISB B | flavonolignans at moisture as received | dry matter as received | flavonolignans at 100% dry matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPK | 0.814 | 0.024 | 0.806 | 1.235 | 0.311 | 0.088 | 3.278 | 94.02 | 3.486 |
| HUMAC Agro | 0.870 | 0.029 | 0.777 | 1.193 | 0.295 | 0.086 | 3.167 | 94.03 | 3.368 |
| Control | 0.750 | 0.045 | 0.740 | 1.131 | 0.291 | 0.084 | 3.042 | 93.94 | 3.238 |
Biometric parameters of the main round root of milk thistle, per treatments monitored_
| treatment / parameter | root count, pieces/m2 | average root diameter, cm | average root weight, g | root yield, g/m2 | root moisture at harvest, % | root yield at harvest moisture, t/ha | root yield at 100% dry matter, t/ha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPK | 31.19 | 1.19 | 1.59 | 48.93 | 44.3 | 0.489 | 0.272 |
| HUMAC Agro | 19.76 | 1.15 | 1.50 | 29.65 | 42.3 | 0.296 | 0.171 |
| Control | 13.38 | 0.84 | 0.75 | 10.04 | 27.5 | 0.100 | 0.072 |
Average content of nutrients in the soil (0–30 cm) and their categorisation, determined according to the Mehlich III methodology – stated before the beginning of the experiment_
| parameter | Nt, mg/kg | P, mg/kg | K, mg/kg | Ca, mg/kg | Mg, mg/kg | pH / KCl | C-ox, % | Humus, % | C/N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| value / category | 1074 midle | 29.7 low | 80.2 low | 3474.2 high | 258.3 high | 7.03 neutral | 1.101 | 1.897 low | 10.2 |
Content (%) of the components of the silimarin complex in the main spinning root of the milk thistle_
| treatment / parameter | SC | SD | SB A | SB B | ISB A | ISB B | flavonolignans at moisture as received | dry matter as received | flavonolignans at 100% dry matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPK | 0.014 | 0.003 | 0.015 | 0.027 | 0.007 | 0.005 | 0.072 | 91.90 | 0.078 |
| HUMAC Agro | 0.015 | 0.006 | 0.014 | 0.025 | 0.007 | 0.005 | 0.072 | 91.23 | 0.079 |
| Control | 0.006 | 0.003 | 0.005 | 0.012 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.031 | 91.44 | 0.034 |
Weather conditions and evaluation of hydrothermal coefficient, SHMU Plaveč 2020 station (1–2 km from experimental site)_
| month / parameter | average daily temperature, ° C | sum of precipitations, mm | hydrotermic coeficient, Hk (valuation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| May | 10.0 | 101.7 | 3.3 (excess) |
| Jun | 16.5 | 99.5 | 2.0 (sufficient) |
| July | 17.1 | 103.6 | 2.0 (sufficient) |
| August | 18.1 | 74.6 | 1.3 (sufficient) |
| V–VIII, vegetation period of milk thistle | 15.4 | 379.4 | 2.5 (sufficient) |
Biometric parameters of stand and above ground phytomass of milk thistle_
| treatment / parameter | plant heigh, m | coverage, % | plant density, pieces/m2 | plant weight at harvest, g/m2 | weight of inflorescence at harvest, g/m2 | weight of seeds at harvest, g/m2 | weight of seed per plant at harvest, g/plant | aboveground phytomass without inflorescence in 100 % dry matter, t/ha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPK | 1.32–1.54 | 60–80 | 31.19 | 605.42 | 272.44 | 79.91 | 2.56 | 2.86 |
| HUMAC Agro | 1.11–1.36 | 50–70 | 19.76 | 301.71 | 144.82 | 45.65 | 2.31 | 1.35 |
| Control | 0.69–0.83 | 20–30 | 13.38 | 71.28 | 39.16 | 12.73 | 0.95 | 0.28 |
Harvest of milk thistle seeds and their basic quality parameters, per treatments monitored_
| treatment / parameter | seed moisture at harvest, % | proportion of ripe seeds, % | seed yield at harvest moisture, kg/ha | seed bulk density at 100% dry matter, g/l | thousand seeds weight at 100% dry matter, g | seed yield at 100% dry matter, t/ha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPK | 20.3 | 83.8 | 779 | 664.3 | 21.1 | 0.534 |
| HUMAC Agro | 32.0 | 82.5 | 457 | 665.9 | 21.4 | 0.254 |
| Control | 12.6 | 78.2 | 127 | 653.1 | 20.5 | 0.087 |