The role of cereal grasses in the formation of pasture grass stands on drained lands of the Upper Volga region

Abstract

Relevance. In 2018–2022 In the Tver region, on drained lands, self-renewing legume-grass agrophytocenoses with the participation of grass grass grasses — giant bentgrass (Agrostis gigantea Roth.), meadow bluegrass (Roa pratensis L.) and red fescue (Festuca rubra L.) were studied to identify their adaptive reactions and prospects for use on drained lands. Methods. The study of the production process of legume-cereal grass stands was carried out in various agrometeorological conditions at two levels of mineral nutrition - without fertilizers and with fertilizers (N45P45K45), on twelve legume-cereal grass mixtures. The grass stands were used in 3 mowing cycles per season. Results. It was established that air temperature and humidity, close to the long-term average, favored optimal growth, development and formation of the greatest productivity of grass stands: 2.6–3.4 natural and 3.14–4.80 thousand pieces/ha of food units. according to the fertilized background. It was revealed that a decrease in soil moisture by 6–8% over a long period reduces the productivity of grass stands. Poa grass stands on a natural background had an optimal ratio of perennial legumes (51.2%) and cereal grasses (47.5%); against the background of fertilizers, they gave the highest increase in dry mass — 0.7–2.2 t/ha. In terms of green mass against a natural background, grass stands with bentgrass were more productive — 17.1 t/ha. It has been determined that under five-year grass crops more than 12.3–20.1 t/ha of dry root mass accumulates, containing 214.0–349.7 GJ/ha of gross energy. The high efficiency of grass stands with bentgrass and bluegrass grass stands in terms of productivity of above-ground and underground biomass has been established.