The intensity of willow vegetative mass regrowth depending on varietal characteristics, type of planting material, and storage conditions

Purpose. To establish the characteristics of regrowth of the above-ground mass of the basket willow and almond willow after harvesting, depending on varietal characteristics, type of planting material, and the use of nitrogen fertilizers. In particular, to determine the height of shoots, their diameter and number, as well as the leave area. Methods. The study was conducted in the experimental field of the Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beet of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine in Ksaverivka village, Bila Tserkva district, Kyiv region, from 2023 to 2024. It examined the regrowth characteristics of two types of energy willow (‘Panfylska’ variety of the almond willow and ‘Zbruch’ variety of the basket willow) in the second cycle after harvesting the shoots. Experiments were set up in 2020 using cuttings stored in various ways. Harvesting took place in 2023, after three years of vegetation and before sap flow began. The height and diameter of the shoots were measured from May until the end of the growing season, on the same date each month. Results. The stems of plants obtained from the shoots of the basket willow were found to have a significantly higher regrowth intensity than those of the almond willow. The ‘Zbruch’ variety (with fertilisers) was distinguished by its maximum height in the first year after harvesting. Conclusions. The best stem height and diameter indicators in the second growing cycle after harvesting were recorded in plants obtained from the shoots of the ‘Zbruch’ variety of energy willow. These shoots were stored in containers and their cuts were treated with lime.