Productivity of <i>Festulolium</i>, of the <i>Lolium</i> and <i>Festuca</i> types, grown in mixtures and in pure stand in central-eastern Poland

The aim of the research was to determine the suitability of Festulolium of the Lolium and Festuca types for cultivation in pure stand and in mixtures in central-eastern Poland.The following parameters were determined: dry matter yield of crops on an annual basis and in individual harvests; dry matter digestibility -determined by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS); The content of total protein, crude fiber, crude ash, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), and soluble carbohydrates in the dry matter of plants -determined by NIRS.Harvested three times a year, grass mixtures, legume-grass mixtures, and Festulolium (the Lolium type cv.Hostyn and the Festuca type cv.Mahulena) in pure stand, grown on poor mineral soils Class 4a with water shortages during the growing season, produced satisfactory yields at an average level of 10.5 Mg/ha DM.The highest yields were produced by legume-grass mixtures with a large (over 20%) share of Festuloliumof the Lolium type cv.Hostyn.With its lower share in a mixture, i.e. 7%, a 16% decrease in yield compared to the average was noted.The differences between three harvest yields during the growing seasons were typical in the conditions of summer and fall droughts.Of three annual harvest, the highest share of biomass (46% on average) was produced by plants during the first growth period.A large proportion of alfalfa in the mixture reduced digestibility, but improved the content of total protein and mineral compounds, at the same time reducing the amount of the neutral fiber fraction, which improved forage quality in terms of its energy content.