Assessment of organic production of raw forage materials depending on the composition of meadow agrophytocenosis

Abstract

The results of a study on the influence of the composition of grass mixtures and the level of biological nutrition on the formation and fodder productivity of sown meadow agrophytocenosis in the organic production of fodder raw materials are presented.

The reaction of single-species sowings of legumes and binary legume-grass mixtures to the action of complex trace elements in the chelated form of biochelat universalnyi, which was used to treat the seeds of the grass mixture components by soaking in a 10 % aqueous solution of the preparation (at the rate of 3 l/t of seeds) for 3–4 hours and foliar nutrition of the grass stand by spraying of grass components in the tillering phase with a rate of 3 l/ha, was determined.

Meadow agrophytocenoses were formed by spring coverless sowing of perennial leguminous grasses and leguminous-cereal mixtures. Seeds of meadow clover (Predkarpatska 6 variety), bird's-foot trefoil (Ajax variety), fodder galega (Kavkazskyi Branets variety), perennial ryegrass (Osyp variety), and timothy grass (Pidhiryanka variety) were used for sowing.

It was found that the yield of meadow agrophytocenosis by years of vegetation depended on both temperature and moisture conditions and biological characteristics of growth and development of the original grass stands. In particular, the positive effect of inoculation of perennial grass seeds and treatment of the vegetative mass with the microfertilizer biochelat universally regardless of the species composition of the original grass stands is obvious.

The dynamics of the formation of meadow agrophytocenosis during
2017–2020 showed the maximum saturation of grass stands with meadow clover in the first two years in single-species crops (89.7–85.1 %), followed by a decrease in the share to 29.7 in the fifth year of life. A similar trend was observed in legume-grass mixtures, which explains the significant decrease in the yield of meadow clover over the years, regardless of the nutritional background. Bird’s-foot trefoil is characterized by a slow start of development and productivity in single-species crops and non-competitiveness in mixtures in the organic production of fodder raw materials. Grass stands of fodder galega, both single-species and mixed with grasses, are characterized by a stable saturation with legume component over the years.

On average, over the five years of exploitation of meadowlands, the highest productivity parameters were provided by the crops of bird’s-foot trefoil and meadow clover. In particular, single-species cenoses allowed to collect 9.3‒10.0 t/ha of dry matter, 5.4–5.7 fodder units and 0.7–0.8 t/ha of digestible protein. Grass mixtures with perennial ryegrass and timothy grass were characterized by slightly lower productivity. There were also significant increases in dry matter, fodder units, and digestible protein due to seed inoculation and treatment of the vegetative mass with the microfertilizer biohelat universalnyi.

A sufficient level of productivity of legumes and legume-grass phytocoenoses, both under natural soil fertility and with the use of universal biochelate for seed and vegetative mass treatment, certainly ensures a high level of profitability for growing raw fodder materials. During 2016–2020, the most optimal indicators of profitability of growing organic raw fodder materials of legumes and their mixtures with grasses were provided by grass stands of bird’s-foot trefoil, both single-species and with perennial ryegrass and timothy grass, regardless of the nutritional background – from 190.2–248.0 to 268.5–286.9 %.