Festulolium seed productivity depending on sowing methods and seeding rates

Abstract

Abstract The effectiveness of animal husbandry depends on stable provision of animals with high-quality and inexpensive feed. The most affordable source of feed is perennial grasses. New varieties of forage grasses with improved characteristics are an important reserve for fodder production. The intergeneric festulolium hybrid is a valuable forage crop for field and meadow grass sowing which can be used for green fodder, hay, silage, haylage, cultivated hayfields and pastures. The scientific development of cultivation techniques is required to ensure high and sustainable seed yields. An important element of the cultivating technology is the rate of sowing seeds and the method of sowing. In the studies conducted in 2006–2009, the biological characteristics and seed productivity of festulolium were studied at different seeding rates. According to the results of the studies, it can be noted that sowing of festulolium by traditional (15 cm) or inter-row (30 cm) methods at a seed rate of 6.0 kg/ha allows for the formation of a sparse and weakly lodging grass stand. The photosynthetic apparatus of festulolium assimilated most productively when using conventional and inter-row methods of sowing at seeding rates of 6.0 and 9.0 kg/ha, as evidenced by the maximum value of the photosynthetic potential - 1029-1090 thousand m2×day/ha. Excessive thickening of crops (12.0 kg/ha) adversely affects the formation of elements of the crop structure and reduces their productivity. It was found that the highest yield of festulolium seeds with the traditional (604.3 kg/g) and inter-row (652.3 kg/ha) sowing methods were obtained at a seeding rate of 6.0 kg/ha and plant density of 130–133 pcs/m2.