Production potential of wheatgrass (Elytrigia repens) as influenced by weather conditions, varieties and methods of sowing in the regions of southern Russia

In recent years, droughts have become more frequent in the south of Russia, which has affected the yield of forage crops on pastures and hayfields. Wheatgrass is a perennial cereal plant, a fodder crop, characterized by high productivity and durability, contains a lot of nutrients in the feed mass, more than other cereals, resistant to pests and diseases, frost and drought resistant, grows well on steppe saline soils. The present study was conducted during 2015–2019 at Federal Research Center for Agroecology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia with an aim to assess the productive potential of wheatgrass plants depending on the variety, the method of sowing and the weather conditions of the growing year in the conditions of the arid zone. In this study, various varieties of wheatgrass were studied (wheatgrass medium variety Stavropol 1, wheatgrass elongated variety Stavropol 10, wheatgrass elongated variety Salt Marsh). The study was laid out in randomized block design with a factorial arrangement of 2 ˣ 4 with three seeding methods (solid with the number of plants 245 pcs/m² and wide-row, 45 cm with the number of plants 150 pcs/m² and wide-row, 70 cm with the number of plants 150 pcs/m² in a triple repetition. The yield of wheatgrass and the protein content in the green mass were determined depending on the factors studied. The data obtained showed that in arid conditions in the south of Russia, weather conditions had the greatest impact on the productivity of wheatgrass plants (their share of influence reaches 70%), while the yield of green phytomass varied from 4.0 to 9.4 t/ha, depending on the varieties and the method of sowing. The yield of wheatgrass and the protein content in the green mass were determined depending on the factors studied. The data obtained showed that in the arid conditions of the south of Russia, weather conditions had the greatest impact on the productivity of wheatgrass plants (their share of influence reaches 70%), while the yield of green phytomass varied from 4.0 to 9.4 t/ha, depending on the varieties and method of sowing. Thus, it was proved that the largest yield of phytomass of wheatgrass is formed in wide-row crops with a height of 70 cm with an increase in yield by 2.3 t/ha or by 32% compared to conventional continuous sowing tomass of wheatgrass is formed in wide-row 70 cm crops, with an increase in yield of 2.3 t/ha or 32% compared to conventional continuous sowing.