Goptsiy T. Agroecological and agrotechnical base of introducing amaranth as an agricultural crop in the left-bank foreste - steppe zone of Ukraine.

Urgency of introducing amaranth as an agricultural crop in the left-bank foreste - steppe zone of Ukraine is theoretically grounded and practically proved. According to the defined task the main elements of the technology of amaranth growing have been worked out and theoretically justified. To single out the amaranth mostly suitable for cultivation in the above zone there have been studied 19 species taken from different botanical gardens. Three amaranth species have been chozen on the base of reserches devoted to influence of climatic condition on the plant growth, development and productivity and as a result of the studies in biological peculiarities of the species, their adaptive abilities and directions of their use. The chozen species are: A. cruentus, to be grown for fodder purpose, A. hybridus, A. hypochondriacus being of universal use - both for fodder and seeds. Possibility of amaranth improving by means of plant breeding methods as well as in-and inter-variety hybridization have been proved. The scheme of plant breeding process has been theoreticflly grounded on the base of carring out heridatory estimate. Practical validness of the scheme resulted in creating 7 amaranth varieties of different use directions included into the State Plant Varieties Register of Ukraine. On the base of the studies aimed at examining the influence of some cultivation elements on the productive potential realization rate in the varieties perspective and corresponding to the left-bank foreste - steppe zone of Ukraine the technological amaranth cultivation scheme accounting phenological phases of the plant development has been created. The possibility of amaranth use for one and two grass cutting is proved. The project directions of green mass and seeds use are defined.