Promising grass mixtures for pasture use on drained lands of the Non-Chernozem Zon

The article presents the results of eight-year (2012-2019) field research on the formation of the production process of multicomponent legume and cereal grass stands while simulating pasture use. The comparison study was carried out with the use of basic grass mixtures: meadow clover (Trifolium pratense) VIK 7 + creeping clover (Trifolium repens) VIK 70 + timothy grass (Phleum pretense L.) VIK 9 + meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis) Sakharovskaya. Studied were agrophytocenoses with the use of pasture ryegrass (Lolium perenne) VIK 66 and festulolium VIK 90. As legume components, alfalfa changeable (Medicago varia) Nakhodka, birds-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) Solnyshko and creeping clover VIK 70 were used. To increase the period of use, red fescue (Festuca rubra) Sigma, having the ability to regenerate itself was included into the composition of some mixtures. It has been established that alfalfa changeable, birds-foot trefoil and red fescue are the most adaptive to the conditions of drained lands. The analysis of the results of the study of the botanical composition of grass stands showed that over 8 years of growth, cereal grasses decreased their participation in the composition of herbage from 32.0-47.8 % to 1.8-22.3 % (excluding grass stands with red fescue). Four-component grass stands based on pasture ryegrass and festulolium with the use of timothy grass proved to be the most resistant to preserving sown grass species (46.3-63.7 %) and to weed infestation. Introducing additional legume species (alfalfa changeable and birds-foot trefoil) into the herbal mixture increased the period of use and significantly raised the yield of green mass of grass stands. The highest yield of green mass was obtained by herbage with alfalfa changeable and birds-foot trefoil - 23.7-26.4 t / ha, which in the seventh year of use exceeded the base grass mixture by 3.2-6.5 t / ha or 13.5-24.6 %. The results of fodder evaluation of legume-cereal ryegrass and festulolium grass stands, which denote the high-quality green fodder in conditions of drained soils of the Upper Volga Region, are presented.