Scientific basis for improved forage production on meadows and pastures of Ukraine

Abstract

Purpose. To highlight the features of transformational change in the use of natural grasslands in agricultural production in recent years in terms of land use specifics, the real economic condition, the available dynamics of hayfields and pastures, their productivity and efficiency in feed production in Ukraine. To justify the scientific and practical approaches to intensification of forage production on natural meadows and pastures in conditions of globalization of the agricultural production and climate change. Methods. Observation, comparison, analysis and synthesis, system analysis and forecast. Results. The analysis of production efficiency in the use of hayfields and pastures in Ukraine was carried out. It was found that as a result of the redistribution of land and the decline of the livestock industry in the agricultural business entities the basic balance between the arable land and natural grassland was violated, what does not allow to effectively combine and use their environmental and fodder value. The results of many years of fundamental and applied scientific research on the influence of agricultural intensification on the biological potential and increasing the productivity of forage agrophytocenoses located on natural forage lands in various agro-climatic zones of our country are analyzed. Conclusions. The efficiency of forage production in meadows and pastures in the context of transformational changes depends on the development of specialized areas of cattle breeding based on the rational use of natural forage resources. In order to eliminate the degradation of meadows and pastures, it is necessary to carry out scientific support of agrotechnical developments, including such regulated elements as plant groups, soil, water, anthropogenic factors, feed quality, and animals.