BOTANICAL COMPOSITION AND PRODUCTIVITY OF PERENNIAL GRASSES AGROPHYTOCENOSES WITH TETRAPLOID MEADOW CLOVER

Abstract

The biological properties of plants, their mutual relations under different growth conditions and at different periods of their life, must be known for obtaining highly productive agrophytocenoses with participation of a meadow clover (Trifolium pratense L.). Botanical composition and fodder productivity of perennial grasses in agrocenoses with participation of meadow tetraploid clover Kudesnik were studied in 2014-2017. It was revealed that in the first and second years of use the agrophytocenosis, the yield of green mass was formed due to meadow tetraploid clover, the share of its participation in the first mowing was at level of 71-87% and 64-97% respectively. Specific weight of clover in multispecies agrocenoses considerably decreased by the third year of use: in the first mowing up to 32-68%, in the second - up to 8-52%. At the same time, the percentage of long-term herbaceous grasses increased: meadow timothy (Phleum pratense L.) - up to 34-54%, eastern galega (Galéga orientális Lam.) - up to 33%, changeable alfalfa (Medicago x varia Martyn) - up to 22-54%, lotus corniculatus (Lotus corniculatus L.) - up to 14-19%. The proportion of weed admixture in single-species clover planting was 12%, in agrocenoses - 2-14%. The grass mixtures clover + timothy and clover + alfalfa + timothy were less infested by weeds. High yield of dry weight of single-species sowing of meadow tetraploid clover was obtained in the first two years of use - 7.8 and 6.5 tons / ha, respectively. By the third year of use, the productivity of clover has decreased to 2.9 t / ha. On average, for three years of use, the highest yield (6.2-6.3 t / ha) was formed by agrocenoses meadow tetraploid clover + meadow timothy and meadow tetraploid clover + changeable alfalfa + meadow timothy.