Formation of botanical composition of clover cereal and alfalfa cereal crops agrophytocenoses depending on sowing method

Abstract

Botanical composition of grasses is one of the most important indicators the biological value and quality of the obtained hay and pasture forage, the longevity of hayfi elds and pastures depend on. The issue of changing the botanical composition of agrophytocenoses is especially important in the context of global climate change, which in recent decades is also manifested in the territory of Ukraine, as it is possible to establish the most adapted species of legumes and cereals to adverse weather conditions and to identify eff ective technological methods of managing these processes for maximum conservation economically valuable species in the herbage. The purpose of the research is to establish the infl uence of diff erent ways of sowing of clover and alfalfa cereal crops agrophytocenoses on the formation of their botanical composition. Field studies have established diff erent eff ects of conventional in-line, cross-section and cross-sectional methods of sowing on the formation of botanical composition of grass mixtures of clover meadow (Trifolium pratense) varieties Sparta and Pavlyna with timothy meadow (Phleum pratense) and fenugreek multifl oral (Lolium multifl orum) and of agrophytocenoses of alfalfa of Sinyukha and Seraphima sowing varieties with reed fire (Festuca arundinacea Schreb) and middle wheatgrass (Elytrigia intermedia). For the average of four years of life of clover and alfalfa cereal crops agrophytocenoses, the highest proportion of legume component was observed with split-cross sowing – 51.6 % for Sparta, 53.1 % for Pavlyna, 60.3 % for Seraphima and 61.6 % for the Sinyukha variety. In the fourth year of life (the third year of use) of sowed leguminous-cereals agrophytocenoses, the preservation of the legume component was 14.6–15.5 % in clover-cereals grass mixtures with the Sparta variety and 16.0–16.8 % with the Pavlyna variety. In alfalfa grasslands, these indicators were 54.0–55.1 % with Seraphim and 55.0–56.2 % with Sinyukha. Among the studied varieties of clover meadow and alfalfa sowing proved better in the conditions of the Forest Steppe of western Pavlyna and Sinyukha. Cross-sectional and divided cross-sectional sowing of legumes and cereals mixtures proved to be better compared to conventional row crops in terms of conservation of economically valuable grass species. Key words: agrophytocenosis, botanical composition, clover meadow, alfalfa sowing, sowing methods.