THE INFLUENCE OF AGROCHEMICALS OF REGULATORY ACTION ON TEA PLANTS’ PIGMENT SYSTEM

The natural and climatic conditions of the south of Russia are characterized by a number of limiting factors for heat-loving crops, which include tea. An analysis of weather conditions on the territory of the Adygei Branch of FRC SSC of RAS in the research years from 2019 to 2022 showed that cold spring periods, especially for the last two years, lead to a delay in growth processes, and consequently, fewer harvests, which reduces yield capacity. In turn, the lack of precipitation in the summer period causes inhibition of growth processes and deterioration of raw materials’ quality as a result of more deaf shoots. At the same time, it is possible to stabilize the functional state of tea plants, activate the production process and improve the quality of raw materials by using environmentally friendly agrochemicals on plantations, primarily humic in nature, with growth-stimulating and stress-protective effects. Studies of the influence of agrochemicals (humate, rocohumin and bombardier) have shown that carotenoids are more responsive to changes in hydrothermal conditions (r = 0.57–0.74), which is quite expected, given the protective role of this group of pigments in plants’ functioning. At the same time, non-root treatment of experimental plants with humate had a significant (least significant difference 05 = 0.16) effect on the content of green pigments, while treatment of plants with rocohumin leads to a significant increase in the synthesis of carotenoids (least significant difference 05 = 0.03), which protect plants from abiotic stresses. Experimental data contribute to the development of effective ways to regulate the functional state of tea plants under stress.