Study of the nutritional and productive value of perennial legume-grass mixtures on reclaimed lands of the Upper Volga region

Relevance. The article is devoted to the relevant problem of assessing the productive and nutritional value of complex grass mixtures of various families, as well as assessing the economic and agro-energy efficiency of cultivating legume-grass mixtures for fodder.

Methods. Experiments were laid at the VNIIMZ experimental agro-reclamation site in 2019–2021. The objects of research were herbal mixtures: 1) oriental goat's rue + cereals (60:40%); 2) variable alfalfa + red clover + meadow timothy (30:35:35%); 3) variable alfalfa + red clover + meadow fescue (30:35:30%); 4) clover-timothy mixture (45:55%). Control — clover-timothy mixture (60:40%), traditional for the production of green mass. The area of the experiment is 6.1 ha, the placement of the options is randomized, in three tiers, the repetition is three times. The use of grass stands is two-cut, agricultural technology is generally accepted. The studies were carried out in accordance with the methodological recommendations adopted in fodder production and agriculture. Statistical processing was carried out by the method of dispersion analysis using computer programs.

Results. High yields of grass mixtures based on goat's rue with cereals were obtained — green mass up to 49.9 t/ha, dry matter — up to 14.1 t/ha, while the timothy mixture used as a control — only 23.8 and 6 .78 t/ha, respectively. At the same time, it was found that the collection of fodder protein units, digestible protein and energy productivity were the highest in legume-grass mixed crops based on goat's rue with cereals (13.97 t/ ha, 1.50 t/ha and 167.7 GJ/ha) and grass mixtures based on clover, alfalfa and timothy grass (9.17 t/ha, 1.03 t/ha and 115.2 GJ/ha), while clover-timothy grass mixture provided only 5.49 t/ha, 0.57 t/ha and 58.3 GJ/ ha, respectively (significance of differences p < 0.05). Grass mixtures from goat's rue, alfalfa and red clover with intensive varieties of cereal grasses provide the maximum amount of nutrients per unit area, improve the quality of fodder. 

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