Knowledge of the response of milk thistle to different levels of agronomic inputs and interactions is essential for the elaboration of the best production technologies. Field trials in a fractional factorial design are helpful in selecting the optimal production technology for plants whose agronomic requirements have not been sufficiently studied under given agroecological conditions. The experiment was set up in a 2n^-1 design with a half-replication. It was located on fields of the Agricultural Experiment Station in Bałcyny, Poland, and carried out in the years 2010-2012. The multifactorial experiments conducted under the same climatic and soil conditions helped to determine the optimal intensity of the main agronomic treatments.

The experiment was designed to analyze the response of milk thistle to key yield-forming factors (nitrogen fertilization, potassium fertilization, sowing date, row spacing and weed control). The weather conditions during the experiment had a significant impact on most of the assessed parameters. Under the agroecological conditions of north-eastern Poland, a higher nitrogen fertilization dose (80 kg N ha^-1) had a significant influence on the yield of milk thistle achenes (an increase of 7.1%), and the yield components improved significantly. An earlier sowing date also resulted in a higher yield of achenes (by 14.9%) and improved the yield structure elements. A positive influence on the yield was also produced by chemical weed control (a significant increase in the yield by 0.15 Mg ha^-1 – 12.2%). The spacing between rows and potassium fertilization (100 kg K₂O ha^-1) applied in milk thistle cultivation did not significantly affect the growth, development plant yield.

了解乳蓟对不同水平的农艺输入和相互作用的响应，对于精心设计最佳生产技术至关重要。分数阶乘设计的田间试验有助于为在特定农业生态条件下尚未充分研究农艺要求的植物选择最佳生产技术。实验采用2n ^-1设计进行半复制。它位于波兰Bacyny农业试验站的田野中，于2010年至2012年进行。在相同的气候和土壤条件下进行的多因素实验有助于确定主要农艺处理方法的最佳强度。

该实验旨在分析乳蓟对关键的产量形成因素（氮肥，钾肥，播种日期，行距和杂草控制）的响应。实验期间的天气条件对大多数评估参数都有重大影响。在波兰东北部的农业生态条件下，较高的氮肥施肥剂量（80 kg N ha ^-1）对水飞蓟瘦果的产量有显着影响（增加7.1％），并且产量组成部分显着改善。较早播种还可以提高瘦果的产量（提高14.9％），并改善了产量结构要素。化学除草还对产量产生积极影响（产量显着提高0.15 Mg ha ^-1– – 12.2％）。行距和水飞蓟钾的施肥间隔（100 kg K ₂ O ha ^-1）对植株生长发育无明显影响。