Influence of perennial legumes on the productivity of meadow phytocenoses

Abstract

We investigated the effectiveness of soil liming during grass sowing and application of inoculation of perennial legume grass seeds with nitrogen-fixing and phosphate-mobilizing preparations. Methods. Field studies were conducted during 2016-2020 in the National Scientific Center "Institute of Farming of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine" (northern part of the Forest-steppe of Ukraine, Chabany settlement, Kiev-Svyatoshinsky district of Kyiv region). Area of the sowing plot was 30 m2, control plot - 25 m². Repetition of experience four times. Technology of cultivation of perennial grasses and their mixtures was generally accepted. Nitrogen fertilizers in the form of ammonium nitrate containing 34% of active substance, phosphorus as simple superphosphate (18.7%) and potassium as potassium chloride (60%) were applied annually in early spring according to the experimental scheme. Liming was carried out by the lime application under pre-sowing cultivation during perennial grass sowing in a dose of 5 t/ha. Seeds of perennial legume grasses were inoculated with the strains of nodule bacteria, according to the technological instructions, immediately before the sowing. Dry weight content was determined by thermostatic weight method at 105 °C. Green mass yield was accounted by weight method, by weighing with subsequent recalculation of yield from 1 ha of dry weight. Results. The productivity of monogenic sowings of perennial leguminous grasses and their mixtures with awnless bromegrass in the variant without fertilization varied within the range of 5.12-8.38 tons, which is 1.7-2.5 times higher compared to the cereal grass stand which was formed from monogenic sowings of awnless bromegrass, for the five years on the average and for the yield from 1 ha of dry weight. The highest productivity and the level of accumulation of symbiotic nitrogen (191-266 kg/ha) were obtained in agrocenoses with alfalfa and the lowest one - with meadow clover.