ОСОБЕННОСТИ СЕЗОННОГО РАЗВИТИЯ ПАСТБИЩНОЙ РАСТИТЕЛЬНОСТИ В ПУСТЫННОЙ ЗОНЕ РЕСПУБЛИКИ КАЛМЫКИЯ

Abstract

The Republic of Kalmykia is one of the largest areas of sheep and beef cattle breeding. The basis of the forage base is made up of natural lands. For the rational use, conservation and increase of productivity of pastures and hayfields, it is necessary to know the composition of vegetation, the phases of its development and other features. Climatic and weather conditions, which are characterized by the greatest variability, which causes significant fluctuations in yields, affects the composition of cenoses, affects the timing and forms of use of forage lands, are crucial in the formation of the harvest of natural herbages, along with nutrients and biological characteristics of plants. Therefore, the study of the conditions for the formation of yields on pastures is of great practical importance. The article presents data on climatic indicators for two weather stations of the Republic of Kalmykia – Yashkul and Lagan for the long-term period 1993-2022 and describes in detail the year 2023 (long-term, annual, monthly, maximum, minimum air temperature, amplitude of fluctuations, precipitation), productivity of pasture grass. The average annual temperature for 2023 was 12.9 °C at the Yashkul weather station and 12.7 °C at Lagan. The intra-annual precipitation distribution in 2023 is also heterogeneous. The annual course of precipitation has shown that most of it falls in the spring period (53...79 mm). The months in which precipitation exceeds the norm alternate with their reduction. A significant increase in precipitation was noted in February, May, June, and July by 20...57 mm above the average annual norm.