Spring rape in single- and multi-crop sowings with poaceous crops

Abstract

Productivity and nutritional value of poaceous crops sown as a single crop and intercropped with spring rape have been studied. Field and laboratory studies were conducted in 2012–2014 on meadow chernozem mealy-carbonate soil in the forest-steppezone of Trans-BaikalTerritory. Agricultural technology used for fodder crop cultivation was common for this area. The objects of the research were the following recognized varieties: oats Metis, spring rye Onokhoiskaya, spring triticale Ukro, spring rape Shpat. The experimental work was carried out in accordance with the generally accepted guidelines for fi eld experiments. Poaceous crops and spring rape were assessed in terms of their adaptability to growing conditions and their economically valuable characteristics were shown. The possibility of increasing the productivity and nutritional value of fodder agrocenoses by intercropping spring rape with poaceous crops was established. In multi-crop agrocenoses, the yield increased and the quality of feed raw material improved. The best results of agrocenoses in multi-crop sowings were achieved by spring triticale intercropped with spring rape and oats intercropped with spring rape: the yield of green mass was 22.1-23.5 t/ha, the amount of dry matter 5.09-5.19, feed units 3.65-3.83 t/ha, digestible protein 598.6-654.9 kg/ha, gross energy 54.055.5 GJ/ha, availability of digestible protein164171 gper feed unit. In terms of productivity, spring triticale and oats intercropped with spring rape surpassed single-crop poaceous agrocenoses by the following parameters: feed units by 1.1-1.9 times, digestible protein by 1.8-3.6 times, gross energy by 1.3-2.6 times, with 10.6-10.7 MJ of dry matter in one kilogram of exchangeable energy.