Productivity of perennial herbage with the participation of Trifolium pratense L. on sod-podzolic soils of the Republic of Karelia

Abstract

In the conditions of northern arable farming, the productivity and nutritional value of the dry mass of pure stand of Tr. pratense and three-component agrophytocenoses with the participation of meadow clover, as well as legume and cereal representatives (Galega orientalis Lam., Medicago varia Mart., Bromus inermis Leys., Phlum pratense L.) were studied. Against the background of spring fertilizing with N45P60K90 and two-time mowing, the yield of dry biomass of grass mixtures averaged 8.3-8.8 t/ha over four years compared to single-species sowing of meadow clover (7.8 t/ha). In terms of energy and protein productivity, the maximum indicators of one hectare were provided by agrophytocenoses of clover (7.54 thousand feed units, 84.8 GJ of exchange energy, 1.22 tons of crude protein) and clover-timothy with the addition of galega or alfalfa (up to 7.19 thousand, 87.7 GJ, and 1.09 tons, respectively). The highest nutritional value of the feed mass (up to 16.71% of crude protein and 138 g of digestible protein/feed units) was allocated to a single-species clover herbage.