The role of forage grasses in maintaining biological diversity of agrocenosis and soils

The phytosanitary condition, microbiological activity and phytotoxicity of the soil, species abundance and seasonal dynamics of ground beetles in the perennial agrocenosis of eastern galega in the experimental fields of the SFNCA RAS Siberian Research Institute of Forage in the Novosibirsk Region were studied. Galega was sown in 1991. The phytosanitary condition of the soil was analyzed in 2023-2024 using generally accepted phytopathological and microbiological methods; insect counts were made in 2014-2016, 2018 and 2022 using soil traps. The soil colonization in the galega agrocenosis by the main causative agent of root rot in cereal crops, Bipolaris sorokiniana, was low, and pathogenic micromycetes of the genus Pythium were not found. High microbiological activity of the soil was noted throughout the growing season, with a stable number of cellulolytic microorganisms and bacteria consuming organic forms of nitrogen. Phytotoxicity of the soil was not detected in the agrocenosis of galega. The population of ground beetles consisted of 53 species from 16 genera. The genera Amara, Harpalus and the genus Pterostichus were rich in species abundance. The dominant species of ground beetles were representatives of the Zoophages class: Poecilus versicolor, Carabus regalis, from the Myxophytophages class – Harpalus rufipes. The nature of the activity of ground beetles in the agrocenosis of galega was wave-like with an increasing peak in the number of dominant species at the end of June, a continuing peak in July and declining in August. The role of eastern galega in maintaining the ecological balance between beneficial and harmful microorganisms in the soil and attracting a fairly large number of ground beetles – zoophages, which contribute to the optimization of the phytosanitary condition, primarily for ground phytophages, has been proven, which is an important condition for the sustainable development of agroecosystems and obtaining high yields of forage crops.