The influence of growth regulators on the yield of sunflower hybrids in the steppe zone of Ukraine: analysis and forecast

Vitalii Pichura; Larysa Potravka; Yevhenii Domaratskiy; Roman Stupen; Denys Breus

doi:10.2478/oszn-2026-0004

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The influence of growth regulators on the yield of sunflower hybrids in the steppe zone of Ukraine: analysis and forecast

Environmental Protection and Natural Resources

Volume 37 (2026): Issue 2 (June 2026)

By: Vitalii Pichura, Larysa Potravka, Yevhenii Domaratskiy, Roman Stupen and Denys Breus

Open Access

|May 2026

Abstract

The study investigated the effects of multifunctional plant growth regulators (PGRs) on yield formation in sunflower hybrids under contrasting hydrothermal conditions of the steppe zone of Ukraine using integrated field experiments and satellite-based monitoring. It was established that crop productivity is determined by the interaction among hybrid genotype characteristics, moisture regime, and the intensity of canopy photosynthetic activity.

Application of plant growth regulators ensured a consistent increase in seed yield, with the biological product Helafit Combi demonstrating higher agronomic efficiency compared to the chemical regulator Architect™.

The spatiotemporal dynamics of agrocenosis condition were assessed using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery during critical stages of organogenesis. A strong correlation was identified between phase-specific NDVI values and final yield, with the highest correlation observed during the flowering stage.

Universal, genotype-specific, and year-type-differentiated predictive models were developed, all of which demonstrated high explanatory power and strong forecasting accuracy. The findings substantiate the feasibility of integrating remote sensing data with field-based measurements for operational yield assessment and adaptive crop management of sunflower under conditions of increasing climatic variability.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/oszn-2026-0004 | Journal eISSN: 2353-8589 | Journal ISSN: 1230-7831

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Language: English

Page range: 1 - 23

Published on: May 4, 2026

Published by: National Research Institute, Institute of Environmental Protection

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

NDVI,

yield,

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© 2026 Vitalii Pichura, Larysa Potravka, Yevhenii Domaratskiy, Roman Stupen, Denys Breus, published by National Research Institute, Institute of Environmental Protection
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Volume 37 (2026): Issue 2 (June 2026)