Formation and feed productivity of herbaceous phytocenoses using various methods of resto­ring meadow lands

Abstract

Goal. To determine the patterns of formation of different types of meadow phytocenoses by their species composition and production potential depending on fertilization and modes of use for the restoration of natural forage lands on the gray forest soil of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe. Methods. General scientific (hypotheses, analogies, generalizations during the planning of the experiment), and special: field — to determine the productivity and species composition of grasslands; laboratory — to determine the intermediate indicators of the chemical composition and nutritional value of the feed; mathematical and statistical — to assess the reliability of the research results. Results. During 2019–2021, at the NSC “Institute of Agriculture of NAAS” (vil. Chabany) on land, various ways of restoring forage lands were studied. The soil of the experimental site was gray forest. During the formation of meadow agrophytocenoses in various ways, spontaneous overgrowth and seeding of wild grasses of virgin lands on fallow lands, creation of sown cereal and legume-cereal from cultivated species of perennial grasses, 46 species of grasses from 15 families were involved, in particular wild flora — 41 species from 15 families. On the fallow lands, formed with the sowing of seeds collected on the virgin land, compared to the fallow lands with spontaneous overgrowth, the process of stabilization of the meadow group was accelerated due to the appearance of specific ecologically adapted species of wild grasses (Festuca valesiaca, various species of Koeleria, etc.), which was important for the preservation of biodiversity and forage value of the meadow. It was established that the most effective way to restore meadow lands was sowing bean-cereal grass mixtures with the addition of Lucerne to their composition, which ensured the highest productivity. Introduction of N140 on leguminous-cereal grass stands decreased the content of leguminous components, while at the same time, on cereal grass stands and fallow lands, productivity increased by 1.8–2.0 times. Conclusions. In the variant without fertilizers, the most productive way was Lucerne-cereal grass-stand, which, for 2-mows use, provided the yield from 1 ha of 8.10 t of dry weight and 5.13 t/ha of feeding units, for 4-mows, respectively, 7.41 and 6.35 t/ha, which was 2.1–2.3 times more than sown cereal grass-stand. The level of accumulation of symbiotic nitrogen by Lucerne varied in the range of 142–154 kg/ha.