INTENSIFICATION OF HORTICULTURE ОN THE SLOPES OF KABARDINO-BALKARIA

The paper is devoted to the issues of mountain slopes reclamation in for intensive orchards Kabardino-Balkaria. An innovative soil-protecting technology of terracing mountain slopes with preservation of soil humus layer is presented, which is largely associated with the reclamation of sloping lands for plantings. In this work, a rational method for reclaiming mountain territories of fruit plantations based on highly effective mountain farming technologies is developed. The complex nature of the creation of intensive fruit plantations requires clearly developed recommendations with a scientifically substantiated possibility of growing apple trees on slopes. The paper notes the need to ensure the preservation and reproduction of soil fertility, with rational development of slopes for intensive orchards, as well as to significantly increase cultivars yield, fruits quality and the economic efficiency of using sloping lands with a steepness of 10° to 20°. The use of highly productive cultivars in combination with the M9 rootstock for planting apple trees in the foothill and forest-mountain zones solves the problem of rational reclamation of these zones in the future development of horticulture in the republic. It is possible to plant intensive apple orchards in various exposures (southern, eastern, western, northern) and parts (lower, middle, upper) of slopes on an adaptive landscape basis, and this will contribute to a more rational use of reclaimed lands and provide the obtaining of environmentally friendly fruit products, since fewer chemical protective measures are provided in mountainous conditions. When constructing terraces, the choice of the width of the canvas plays an important role; for intensive gardening, as applied on a plain, the scheme is 3.5 m × 0.5–1.0 m. With an increase of the slope steepness, the angle and height of the slope increase, the width of the canvas remains unchanged. For intensive gardening on slopes, this terrace cutting method accepts slopes with a steepness of 10° to 20°. The production company is offered an innovative method of constructing terraces for highly efficient cultivation of intensive orchards on slopes.