Sudan grass productivity depending on meteorological conditions

Abstract

Productivity of any crop is the potential of the variety when interacting with environmental factors, and especially meteorological ones. Losses due to unfavorable conditions in some years can be up to 50-65,0 %. The purpose of the work was to identify how the productivity of Sudan grass green mass varied through the years with different meteorological conditions, which factors had the greatest effect on it. The study was carried out in 2012-2021 in the conditions of Rostov region. The soil of the plot was ordinary carbonate chernozem. The object of the study was the Sudan grass of Alisa variety, introduced into the State List of Breeding Achievements in 2019. Differences in sowing dates (I-II decades of May) had no effect on green mass productivity and the time of grain maturing. The Sudan grass green mass productivity varied significantly from 36 t/ha to 43 t/ha through the years of study. The year of 2021 was more favorable both in temperature and moisture supply for the formation of the first cut of green mass, and the year of 2018 was favorable for the formation of the second one. The first cut of the green mass was more important and productive. The second cut productivity in 2018 was 84.5 % of the first cut and 45.8 % of the amount of both cuts. In 2021, 35,0 % of the first cut and 26.5 % of the total productivity. The correlation analysis has confirmed that green mass productivity has a close positive correlation with the amount of precipitation (r = 0.79) and a mean negative one with the average air temperature during the vegetation period (r = -0.59).