Agro-ecological tests of annual fodder crops unconventional for the Novgorod region to strengthen the forage base in the Non-Chernozem zone

Abstract

Relevance. The need to increase the production of dairy products to ensure food security is the basis for the search for new reliable sources of feed. One of the ways to strengthen the forage base is the introduction of new, sparsely distributed forage crops.
Methods. The research was carried out with varieties of Japanese millet, millet, Siberian millet, foxtail millet, amaranth.
Results. Studies with have shown that in various weather conditions, plants formed stable yields of green mass: in extreme conditions of 2017 — 15–21 t/ha, in more favorable years — up to 53–97 t/ha, thus showing their adaptive properties. The growing season of millet was 79–107 days, the seed harvest was up to 1.2–2.1 t/ha, the average yield of green mass was in the range of 29–37 t/ha, the content of crude protein (CP) in the green mass was 8.9–14.6%, the Sputnik variety was distinguished by its precocity. Among Japanese millet varieties, the growing season was 99–128 days, in some years the seeds were not fully formed. The Krasava and Eurika varieties proved to be relatively precocious. The average yield of green mass of Japanese millet is 44–51 t/ha, the content of CP is 6.8–9.6%. Among the varieties of Siberian millet and foxtail millet, the Stepnoy Mayak variety with a growing season of 91–118 days distinguished itself by its precocity, the average yield of green mass in early varieties was at the level of 30 t/ha, in late varieties (Stamoga, Stachumi, Atlant) — 38 t/ha. Among amaranth varieties, the average yield of green mass is 44–54 t/ha, the CP content is 13.5–17%, the Lipetsky variety is distinguished by its precocity (the growing season is 98–111 days).The period of mowing ripeness of crops falls on the second half of summer and autumn, which makes it possible to eliminate the deficit in green fodder in these terms.