VEGETABLE BEAN IN POLYCROPPING

Purpose. To scientifically justify the influence of protection systems (biological, chemical) on the growth and development of bean plants in strip cropping. Methods. Field, statistical. Results. To create a polycrop agrogroup, strips that were multiples of the rig width (for example, 2.8 m, 4.2 m, 5.6 m, etc.) were formed. Solid-planted companion crops (spiked cereals [for example, winter triticale – the most optimal forecrop for bean]) were grown in alkalized strips, and bean was grown in non-alkalized strips. Crops were rotated by periodic alternating alkalized and non-alkalized strips. A clear pattern was revealed: the farther bean plants from the companion crops (70 cm, 140 cm, 210 cm) were, the taller they were: when sown with winter triticale, their height increased from 57 cm to 59 cm; when sown with spring triticale, it increased from 54 cm to 58 cm. On average for two years, a clear similar trend was observed for bush width: the farther bean plants from the companion crops (70 cm, 140 cm, 210 cm) were, the wider bean bush became: when sown with winter triticale, the bush width increased from 55 cm up to 59 cm; when sown with spring triticale, it increased from 54 cm to 57 cm. The farther bean rows from the companion crops were, the fewer nodules per plant formed: when the bean was sown with winter triticale, the nodule number decreased from 110/plant to 95/plant; when it was sown with spring triticale, this parameter decreased from 68/plant to 53/plant. In 2022, the bean sown with winter triticale as a predecessor and companion crop in the strip cropping was least affected by Alternaria leaf spot (5–9%); when the bean was sown with spring triticale as a companion crop, the Alternaria leaf spot prevalence ranged from 11 to 13%. In 2023, with winter triticale as a companion crop and predecessor, the bean anthracnose prevalence was 13–20%; in the other variants, it amounted to 35–40%. Conclusions. Strip cropping, in particular with vegetable bean, is a promising trend in organic farming. The farther bean plants from the companion crops (70 cm, 140 cm, 210 cm) were, the taller they were and the wider bean bushes became, but the number of nitrogen-fixing nodules, on the contrary, decreased. The biological regimen of plant protection restrained the Alternaria leaf spot and bean anthracnose development on bean plants where winter triticale was a companion crop and forecrop.