Improvement of forage lands in Central Non-Black Earth Zone of Russia by using some integrated approaches

Nikolay Vasilievich Aldoshin,Vyacheslav Viktorovich Golubev,Anton Sergeevich Firsov,Andrey Vasilievich Kudryavtsev,Alexander Sergeevich Vasiliev,Lyudmila Yuryevna Vasilieva

doi:10.14719/pst.2021.8.1.827

Abstract

In an activity system aimed at creation of high-quality fodder base for animal agriculture, crop science plays the main role. It facilitates the increase in the productivity of forage crops, which guarantees the relevance of efficiency studies and the developed technologies for improving forage lands. The research was aimed at studying the impact of integrated approaches to improving forage lands in the Central Non-Black Earth Zone. The objectives of the research were as follows: to present a methodology for monitoring agricultural fields for the subsequent improvement of forage lands; to develop an efficient technology for improving forage lands using modern mechanization means; to study the productivity of different grass mixtures when implementing various options for soil cultivation. Based on the results of three years of theoretical and experimental research, a technological scheme for fodder land improvement (including technical processes) was compiled: monitoring of fields, preparation of grass mixtures and mineral fertilizers, preparation and tuning of machine-tractor aggregates, assessment of the yield of two-time grass cutting and secondary monitoring of fields. The proposed technology included several levelling technological operations (including levelling of hillocks), operations for the preparation of the seedbed and the seed material in the form of grass mixtures and mineral fertilizers and subsequent strip sowing. It has been established that when improving fodder lands as well as the quality of soil preparation, the prevalence of milling created more favorable conditions for increasing productivity of perennial grasses compared to disking.

Highlights

Fodder lands occupy about 3.4 bln ha in the world, including more than 92 mln ha in the Russian Federation
According to the Federal Register of Technologies and Machines [12], main stages of improving forage land are monitoring of forage land, preparation of grass mixtures and mineral fertilizers, selection, setting, and tuning of machines for improvement of the forage land, direct performance of the technical process, calculation of yield, secondary monitoring of changes in forage land quality and economic assessment (Fig. 2)
If the weeds occupied more than 40% of the forage land surface or there were no valuable herbs in the plot, it was concluded that the use of the developed technology of improvement, including tillage, fertilization and sowing of grass mixtures, was necessary

Summary

Introduction

Fodder lands occupy about 3.4 bln ha in the world, including more than 92 mln ha in the Russian Federation. It should be noted that over 2/3 of haylands and pasture fields of the Central Non-Black Earth Zone in the Russian Federation are degrading, which is due to the deterioration of the flora, the prevalence of low-value plant species, the formation of a long-term sod layer that is resistant to mechanical stresses and the disruption of the air and water regime of the surface soil [1] This condition of forage lands requires the development of new approaches for their use, based on the analysis of their initial and expected characteristics after improvement (botanical, environmental, agrochemical, technical, economic and others). For example, that surface improvement of pasture fields increases yield by a factor of 1.5–2.0 [9]

Objectives

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Results

Conclusion