The vertical structure of clover-cereal and cereal meadow grasses depending on their composition, mowing period and growing conditions in the Novgorod region of the North-West of Russia

Abstract

Data are presented on the study of the influence of the composition of meadow cenoses, the term of their mowing, and the dose of mineral nitrogen on the distribution of phytomass along the height of clover-grass and grass meadow grass stands. It has been experimentally proved that the composition of agrocenoses, their mowing time and growing conditions have a great influence on the vertical distribution of the vegetative mass of meadow grass stands. For mowing use on medium-acid soils of heavy mechanical composition, legume-cereal grass with hybrid clover included in its composition is most suitable. On average over the years of research, this meadow agrocenosis cropped from the full budding phase to the full bloom phase is characterized by the most uniform phytomass distribution over the height of the grass stand. In addition, it was experimentally confirmed that the introduction of mineral nitrogen fertilizing under cereal meadow grass stands contributes to a more even distribution of vegetative mass along the agrocenoses height. When nitrogen is applied in a dose of 120 kg per 1 ha under cereal grass stand, there is a significant shift of the “center of equilibrium” up the height of the grass stand and a reduction in the amount of phytomass in the lower tier compared to unfertilized cereal agrocenosis, which is important when mowing grass meadows.