GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF LEGUME AND GRASS COMPONENTS IN MIXED GRASSLANDS GROWN IN THE CENTRAL BALKAN MOUNTAIN

Abstract

PURPOSE of the present study is to establish the growth, development and competitiveness of grass and legume components in mixed grasslands grown under the conditions of the Central Balkan Mountains. METHODS: In the spring of 2014-2016, the growth and development of typical meadow legumes and grass species for that region were observed in the experimental field of RIMSA - Troyan, in double mixtures: 1. Bird's-foot-trefoil - Red fescue; 2. White clover - Perennial ryegrass; 3. White clover - Kentucky bluegrass; 4. Red clover - Timothy-grass; 5. Blue hybrid alfalfa - Cock's foot; 6. Red clover - Meadow fescue. RESULTS: From all grass crops - Dactylis glomerata L. has the most pronounced competitive ability with respect to the biometric height indicator of plants, while Poa pratensis L. has the slightest one. For the three-year study period, Trifolium repens L. in its mixture with Lolium perenne L. recorded the lowest average growth values compared to the other legumes included in the experiment. CONCLUSIONS: The best intercompatibility and, respectively, the most favorable combination of grass and legume components is found between Trifolium pratense L. and Festuca pratensis L., and the weakest among the components in the blue hybrid alfalfa - cock's foot mixture. The length of the flower-bearing stems and leaf stalks of Trifolium pratense L. in the mixed grassland with meadow fescue have higher values (41.8:89.0 cm) and those with timothy-grass are lower (38.1:52.5 cm).