DYNAMICS OF FERTILITY ELEMENT INDICATORS OF DARKCHESTNUT SOIL UNDER THE APPLICATION OF ZEOLITE AND FERTILIZERS FOR TABLE BEET CULTIVATION

The article examines the impact of zeolite application, mineral fertilizers, and their combination on the water-physical properties and fertility of dark chestnut soils in southeastern Kazakhstan under table beet cultivation. Field experiments have shown that the use of zeolite improves soil water permeability and porosity, promotes moisture and nutrient retention, and reduces leaching losses. The total soil porosity in the control variant was 59.7% in the 0–20 cm layer, while with the application of zeolite, this figure increased to 63.2%. It was determined that the application of zeolite together with mineral fertilizers (N₄₅P₄₅K₄₅) over two years contributes to maintaining humus content and increases the levels of available forms of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the soil, positively influencing the growth and yield of the Kyzylkonyr table beet variety, which yielded 42.3 t/ha in the control. The highest yield of beet roots—62.7 t/ha—was obtained with the application of a double dose of complete mineral fertilizer and 2 tons of zeolite. A high yield of 52.3 t/ha was also achieved with fertilizers and 2 tons of zeolite, resulting in a yield increase of 16.5 t/ha. The results of the study confirm the potential of using zeolites to enhance fertilizer efficiency and improve the ecological condition of soils