PRODUCTIVITY OF FIELD IRRIGATED AGROCENOSES BASED ON MODERN VARIETIES OF LEGUMINOUS GRASSES AND THE QUALITY OF THE RESULTING FODDER

Purpose: to evaluate the productivity and forage value of modern varieties of alfalfa and sainfoin used in the cultivation of these crops under the soil and climatic conditions of the Lower Volga region under irrigation. Materials and methods. The studies were conducted as part of a field experiment using generally accepted techniques. Statistical data processing was carried out using the analysis of variance method. Results and discussion. It was revealed that grass stands needed to be watered up to 10 times in the first year of life, and 7–9 times in subsequent years. Before harvesting the cover crop, the irrigation rate was 150–300 m³/ha, then 450 m³/ha. Irrigation rates by years of research varied from 3600 to 4200 m³/ha. The total water consumption of the grass stand in the first year of life averaged 4660 m³/ha, in the second – 5570 m³/ha, and in the third – 5685 m³/ha. Before the first mowing, alfalfa reached a height of 0.80–1.00 m, and sainfoin – 1.05–1.15 m. During the second mowing, the plant height varied from 0.76 to 0.80 m, and during the third – from 0.60 to 0.72 m. The most productive alfalfa variety was the Izumruda variety. It surpassed the control variety Rostovskaya 60 in green mass yield by 5.6 %, dry mass – by 9.5 %, in feed unit collection – by 15.0 %, and digestible protein – by 14.9 %. Among the sainfoin varieties, the most successful was the Shuravi variety. It demonstrated a higher yield of green and dry mass compared to the control variety Pink 95 by 6.6 and 6.0 %, respectively. In addition, the Shuravi variety showed an increase in the collection of feed units by 9.5 % and digestible protein by 23.4 %. Conclusions. Modern varieties of alfalfa and sainfoin demonstrate the yield and nutritional value of the forage mass comparable to traditional varieties, and are promising for cultivation on irrigated lands of the Lower Volga region.