METHOD OF CULTIVATING AMARANTH IN IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE Russian patent published in 2000 - IPC

FIELD: agriculture. SUBSTANCE: method involves selecting and harvesting precursor; applying lime of phosphorous and other fertilizers; shelling stubble; applying organic fertilizers; providing plowing with full turning of soil layer, leveling soil relief, early spring plowing, presowing cultivation, sowing; performing interrow care, vegetative irrigation and harvesting. Upon harvesting of precursor, preplowing strip ripping of plowing and subsurface horizons is performed, with width of uncultivated strips between them being equal to width of plowing unit track. Upon plowing, provocative off-season irrigation is performed at irrigation rate of 50-150 sq.m/hectare for creating favorable growing conditions for annual and perennial weed seeds, as well as root sucker plant seeds. Method further involves harrowing for removing weed plants; combining presowing cultivation and formation of gentle and steep slopes next year in spring, with ridge spacing being equal to width of row spacing; orienting ridge gentle slopes so that they are exposed to maximum intensity of illumination. Steep slopes are formed with physico-mechanical properties of soil being taken into account. Amaranth seeds are sown on gentle slope with following local rolling of rows. Care procedures are effectuated without usage of herbicides. First interrow cultivation is conducted at 2-3 stable leaves stage of plant vegetation, with the usage of shielding houses. Row spacings are ripped with shaving hoes and simultaneously row soil relief is leveled by means of harrows. Second cultivation is combined with formation of water-absorbing slits. At third cultivation stage, soil is hilled to plant stem base. Vegetative drop irrigation and finely dispersed irrigation are provided on the basis of programmed green mass and grain productivity. EFFECT: reduced production cost and provision for obtaining high-protein roots on base free from herbicides. 10 cl, 8 dwg, 2 tbl