Forage Lands Research Articles

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF GREATER SPOTTED EAGLES (<i>CLANGA CLANGA</i>, ACCIPITRIDAE, ACCIPITRIFORMES) DURING THE WINTERING PERIOD AND FEATURES OF THEIR HABITATS DETERMINED USING GPS-GSM TELEMETRY

Using GPS-GSM trackers, data on the spatial distribution and habitat features during the wintering period were obtained for five young greater spotted eagles (Clanga clanga) tagged in the center of European Russia or the Middle Volga region. The wintering areas of the studied birds, with the exception of one individual in the second and third winters, were located in the Middle East (Israel, northern Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran), in South Africa (Sudan and South Sudan), and in Azerbaijan. An uneven distribution of greater spotted eagles in winter territories was revealed, within which the birds spent most of their time in preferred areas where they stayed for long periods. The size and configuration of winter territories depended on the availability of forage lands. Ecological features of the territories caused a difference in the square of wintering grounds and the character of daytime movements of different individuals. The bird wintering in the arid landscapes of the Arabian Peninsula with extremely poor forage conditions was forced to make maximal daily movements in search of prey. At the same time, individuals wintering in the deltaic Caspian plains in Iran and in the Prikubanskaya Plain in southern Russia found areas with a rich and affordable food which caused minimal daily movements and a minimum radius of the daytime territory. Based on telemetry and visual observations, a previously unknown area of sustainable wintering of greater spotted eagles in the south of European Russia has been localized. The paddy rice fields in the Prikubanskaya Plain as the most important forage habitat and the probable significance of the numerous and available brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) as the main prey species in winter are discussed. The data obtained form an important basis for the development of a strategy for the protection of this rare vulnerable species across the entire distribution range.

Animal Histories of the Civil War Era ed. by Earl J. Hess

Reviewed by: Animal Histories of the Civil War Era ed. by Earl J. Hess Marcy S. Sacks (bio) Animal Histories of the Civil War Era. Edited by Earl J. Hess. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2022. ISBN: 978-0807176917. 288 pp., cloth, $45.00. In his provocative contribution about the late nineteenth century sectional debate over the National Zoo, Daniel Vandersommers notes that laughter often erupted on the floor of the US House of Representatives when members considered whether to fund the proposed park. Animals, Vandersommers explains, “were not considered subjects worthy of discussion” and therefore provoked disparaging outbursts when they were mentioned in the chamber (235). Fortunately for us, historians are increasingly taking a different view of animals, as Earl J. Hess’s wonderful edited volume, Animal Histories of the Civil War, ably highlights. Indeed, the anthology answers the call that Vandersommers makes for scholars to “think about [animals] as parts of larger systems while we simultaneously consider them as individual beings” (236). The thirteen entries of this volume collectively do just that. Spanning a chronology from the antebellum era into the early twentieth century (though mostly focused on the Civil War period), the essays explore the importance of animals both as omnipresent living beings and as creatures instrumental in shaping the human experience. While Hess asserts that the “fundamental objective of the book is to raise the awareness of Civil War scholars to the presence of nonhuman animals in the story of the war,” the contributors valuably do far more than this, demonstrating how profoundly influenced humans are by other living beings (2). Many of the essays feature ways people exploit animals to fulfill myriad needs. Antebellum Southern whites relied on dogs and camels for their utility in buttressing white supremacy and cotton profits. Lorien Foote demonstrates the importance of bloodhounds to the creation of a carceral landscape that ensnared Black people within the system of slavery. And in telling a story about the introduction of camels to the American South in the decade prior to the Civil War, Michael Woods exposes proslavery advocates’ dreams of creating an expansive hemispheric empire. Humans’ dependence on animals uncovered vulnerabilities during the war, as some of the collection’s most valuable chapters highlight. Abraham Gibson’s work on warhorses makes the surprising connection between environmental conditions in the South and challenges to Confederate military capabilities. A dearth of high-nutrient pastureland in much of the Cotton Kingdom meant that many [End Page 92] Southerners imported horses from west of the Appalachians. As the war dragged on, the Confederacy found itself at a substantial equine disadvantage, made worse by the further degradation of forage land caused by the conflict itself. By 1865, Gibson tells us, “Grant had more horses than his opponent had soldiers” (94). This imbalance strategically benefitted the US army, helping to explain the war’s eventual outcome. And in perhaps the collection’s standout work, for the way it obligates us to reimagine numerous aspects of Southern ideology and the war, Jason Phillips analyzes hogs not only as an exploitable food source but for their connection to “slavery, western expansion, sectionalism, secession, Civil War, emancipation, memorialization, and Reconstruction” (135–36). Emblematic of cultural and economic differences between the North and South, hogs were inscribed with sectional symbolism. Expecting them to fend for themselves, Southerners released hogs onto the open commons. The booming population offered proof, Southerners insisted, of their society’s harmony and superiority. Northerners, however, eschewed the fierce independence represented by such reliance on the land and instead penned their animals. Trusting in the public and the government, they viewed their own livestock husbandry as demonstrative of Northern ingenuity and enterprise. These differences, Phillips informs us, had real-world consequences in some unexpected ways. The dependence on open commons in the South contributed to expansionist pressure—the root of the sectional conflict altogether. Not only were Southerners seeking more cotton land as they looked westward, but they also needed pastureland. And while the South boasted more swine per capita at the start of the war, the North raised fatter hogs and already had systems in place for packaging the meat. The United States was therefore more able...

NATURAL FORAGE LANDS OF EASTERN PODILLYA OF UKRAINE: ORIENTATION OF DYNAMIC PROCESSES AND OPTIMIZATION IN MODERN ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS

The article presents an analysis of the state of natural forage lands of the Eastern Podillya of Ukraine. The analysis of the geobotanical survey of the natural forage lands of the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine proved that they are in an unsatisfactory state due to high anthropogenic load and need to be restored. The main sources of stress on natural ecosystems, including forage lands, are highlighted – industry, motor vehicle, sewage and household waste, as well as agricultural production, which are characterized by an excessive influx of toxic elements into the environment. Optimization of natural forage lands is an integral part of the concept of balanced development and national programs on the quality of the environment as a mandatory element of state policy. To optimize the restoration of contaminated natural forage lands, it is quite important to assess the risks from the adverse effects of heavy metals, to carry out an ecological assessment of this process, which can be the basis for large-scale measures to restore contaminated lands. Among a large number of toxic elements, heavy metals occupy a prominent place. In particular, there is an increased intake of lead, cadmium, zinc, and copper. It was found that in the conditions of dry land lowland meadows, normal dry lands are the safest and most suitable for providing herbivores with plant biodiversity. It has been proven that the accumulation of toxic substances in soils leads to their degradation, which is accompanied by a toxic effect on plants, causing a decrease in their reproductive quality. A significant man-made load of motor vehicles on the soils of the roadside space, which is accompanied by their contamination with heavy metals, was revealed. Based on the results of the research, a theoretical generalization was made and a solution to the current scientific and practical task was proposed regarding the assessment of the intensity of pollution of the natural lands of Vinnytsia region by heavy metals in the conditions of various man-made loads Installed it was found that the exceedance of the maximum concentration limit in the soils in the studied territories of local pollution of dry lowland meadows of Vinnytsia region was found only for cadmium by 1,01 times in the territories dry lands of excessive moisture adjacent to the railway connection.

The unit for improvement of degenerated mountainside sections

BACKGROUND: The results of RD works on the laboratory prototype of a small disk harrow aimed for operation at mountainsides and capable to improve labor capacity and yield capacity of highland forage lands by 1520% are presented.
 AIMS: The developed laboratory prototype of a module of a mountain tractor-drawn small disk harrow for operation at sections of highland and piedmont areas capable to eliminate weed infestation of soil; to increase fertility and yield capacity of forage lands, to ensure stability of grass areas against deflation and erosion.
 METHODS: The technical examination of the laboratory prototype of the machine was carried out at the highland station of North Caucasian Research Institute of Highland and Piedmont Agriculture in Dargvas village, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania at the altitude of 1540 meters above the sea level and at the slope angle of up to 12. The properties of the testing conditions and the functional properties of unit operation were determined. The technical examination of the scientific documentation of the laboratory prototype of a module of a mountain tractor-drawn small disk harrow for cultivation of soil of highland grass areas was carried out in compliance with the GOST 33687-2015 standard. The subject of the study includes operating tools (the disks), distance between neighboring disks, disk curvature radius, disk diameter as well as the design of operating tools mounting at the frame of a small disk harrow.
 RESULTS: The laboratory prototype of a small disk harrow for soil cultivation at sections of highland and piedmont areas was developed and produced on the basis of a minitractor. The small disk harrow is represented as a tractor-drawn unit with inline arrangement of 9 spherical disks mounted to individual struts. The design of the mountain small disk harrow is provided with the capability of the unit to switch from the right-to-left mountainside operation mode to the left-to-right mountainside operation mode when turning and with the optional mounting of press wheels.
 CONCLUSIONS: Practical use of the module of a small disk harrow ensures reduction of generating processes ofmountainside sections, increases yield capacity of forage lands, ensures stability against water erosion and wind erosion as well as increases environmental stability and efficiency of grassland farming.

Cattle Disease Studies Via Geographical Information System in Bowi Subur Village, Masni District, Manokwari Regency, West Papua Province

Geographical Information System(GIS) and remote sensing provide real-timedata to stakeholders.GIS is new and modern tool that are essential for mapping, monitoring, and surveillance of animal diseases.This study aims to provide a digital map of cattlepopulation and diseasedistribution. Usingsatellite imaging as mapping apparatus, this study map the distribution of cattle diseases.Animal health is key to livestock production and productivity. This study can be used as prevention and treatment measures efficiently and effectively.Based on theresults of the study, the cattle population in Bowi Subur Village was 455 heads. About 78% of respondents grazetheir cattle extensively in a forage land while the other 22% keeptheir cattle intensively in the barn,31 respondents (31%) stated that their cattle had health problems.The study showed that cattle diseases, such as helminth infestation, external parasite infestation, dystocia, and abortus, are varied. Both primary and secondary data showed that helminth infestation was the most common case. Bowi Subur Village has great potential for animal husbandry development especially ruminantsin Manokwari Regency.

Орошаемое луговодство и лизиметрические исследования в Федеральном научном центре кормопроизводства и агроэкологии имени В.Р. Вильямса (К 85-летию Б.И. Короткова)

Agricultural land reclamation is of great importance in the creation and life of grass ecosystems. Even V.R. Williams in his book "Meadow Farming" (1901) wrote about the need for reclamation of meadows by drainage and irrigation, which is a necessary condition for obtaining high and stable yields. In 1969, an irrigation system on an area of 85 hectares was put into operation at the V.R. Williams Forage Research Institute, and in 1970 — a drainage system (closed drainage) on an area of 25 hectares. After the organization of the problem laboratory of "Irrigated Meadow Farming" in 1970, senior researcher and later the head of the laboratory B.I. Korotkov conducted research here on the study of irrigation regimes of hayfields and pastures. He was born on February 20, 1938 in the village of Mordviny, Kovrovsky district, Vladimir region. After graduating from school, he studied in 1955–1960 at the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy (TAA) with a degree in "Scientist agronomist" and worked for 5 years as an agronomist-meadow farmer of the Vladimir Meliovodstroy Trust. In 1965–1968, B.I. Korotkov entered and successfully graduated from the graduate school of the TAA, defended his PhD thesis on the topic "The experience of using irrigated by sprinkling cultural pastures in the Non-Chernozem zone". Together with his teacher, the famous scientist N.G. Andreev, B.I. Korotkov developed the topic of irrigation of pastures and hayfields of the Non-Chernozem region, including in combination with other methods of intensification of forage lands, developed criteria for pre-irrigation soil moisture, determined the capacity of the active water exchange layer, irrigation and irrigation norms. The result of their joint scientific activity was the book "Irrigated and cultural pastures" (1979), which summarizes the experience and achievements of science in our country and abroad. B.I. Korotkov made a significant contribution to the development of science and practice of irrigated meadow farming. He is the author of more than 100 scientific papers.

Dynamics of accumulation of 137CS, botanical composition and productivity of legume-cereal mixtures in the Tula region

The purpose of the research is to select grass mixtures to improve hay and pasture lands on ravine - beam systems that have been exposed to radioactive contamination, to evaluate agrotechnical and agrochemical techniques to increase productivity and restore radioactively contaminated slope forage lands and reduce the accumulation of 137Cs in the grass. The work was carried out in 2003-2010 and 2019-2021 in the Plavsky district of the Tula region on medium loamy leached chernozem. In the first experiment, the yield and dynamics of accumulation of 137Cs by perennial grasses were studied. Perennial herbs were grown in variants without fertilizers and with annual application of N60P60K60. The objects of research were meadow clover, creeping clover, variable alfalfa, eastern goat, horned lyadvenets, boneless rump, meadow fescue, meadow timothy. The most productive in the experiments was a mixture of meadow clover, variable alfalfa and boneless stalk (10,5 t /ha of dry matter). The content of 137Cs in the air-dry mass of cereal-legume grass mixtures ranged from 8,3 to 40,1 Bq/kg. Perennial leguminous grasses bore 2...3 times more 137Cs than cereals. In the second experiment, the objects of the study were single-species crops of boneless stalk and its mixture with eastern goat with the use of mineral and microbiological fertilizers. As a result, it was found that the introduction of large doses of nitrogen fertilizers increased the accumulation of 137Cs in the herbage. With fractional fertilization, such an increase can be avoided. The complex application of nitrogen and microbiological fertilizers contributes to a 2-fold increase in the content of 137Cs in the herbage. In the experiments, the lowest values of the accumulation coefficients of 137Cs were noted in the variants with the addition of double superphosphate with potassium chloride and borofoski.

Эспарцет (Onobrychis Adans .): выгодная культура в органическом лугопастбищном хозяйстве (обзор )

Perennial legumes are the most beneficial crops in the organic grassland farming. These crops include sainfoin, which should take its rightful place in forage lands, especially in modern conditions of increasing aridity. Three species are cultivated in Russia: Onobrychis viciifolia Scop., O. arenaria (Kit.) DC and O. transcaucasica Grossh. The cultivation of sainfoin is of great ecological importance due to its special ecological properties and chemical composition. It has a deep and highly branched root system, capable of absorbing nutrients from deep soil layers. The root system of sainfoin absorbs minerals from hard-to-reach soil compounds, so it is little responsive to fertilisation, and can be successfully used in organic grassland farming. Unlike other leguminous grasses, with the exception of the birdsfoot trefoil, sainfoin does not cause bloat in ruminants. This is due to the presence of condensed tannins (CTs) in the plant in the amount of 30–80 g per 1 kg of dry matter. СТs increase the amount of non-degradable protein in the rumen, which prevents bloat in ruminants, reduces methane emissions and nitrogen compounds in urine, which in turn reduces the impact of greenhouse gases on the heat balance of the Earth. СТs have shown in vivo anti-parasitic activity against helminths in sheep and goats, improving feed nutrient utilisation and increasing animal productivity. Sainfoin fixes atmospheric nitrogen in an amount up to 150 kg/ha and does not require the application of nitrogen fertilisers, which can pollute groundwater and atmospheric air. Enriching the soil with nitrogen and other nutrients due to their biological accumulation in the upper soil layer, sainfoin contributes to soil fertility. sainfoin provides yields from 4 to 7 t/ha of dry matter with a productive longevity of herbage for 4–7 years reducing the cost of reseeding.

Species diversity and productivity of pasture ecosystems of the Ilovlinsky sand massif

The aim of the research was to establish the productivity of pasture ecosystems on the sandy lands of the Don basin. The objects of research are herbaceous plant communities on the sands of the Ilovlinsky massif of the Volgograd region. The analysis of the species diversity of the vegetation cover, its variability in space was carried out by an inventory of 5 test plots measuring 10 x 10 m. Generally accepted methods of statistical analysis, graphical interpretation and scientific generalization were used to process, analyze and present the results. In all the surveyed sites, there is a low proportion of Fabaceae family species (0-8 %), a large proportion of the mixed grass group (58-75 %) and the weed species of plants (26-50 %) species. The feed mass consumed on average in the plots is 11-45 g / m2. A direct relationship was revealed between the influence of the percentage of Poaceae and Cyperaceae (Carex) species in the phytocenosis on medium-grown sands on the increase in the yield of sandy pastures (g / m2) in the late autumn period (r = 0.99). The condition of the soil and vegetation cover on forage lands is a consequence of overgrazing.

The effectiveness of Arbuscula Mycorrhyza Fungi stater with different fortification in increasing the productivity of Clitoria ternatea on saline soil

Saline soil has a high salt content and low productivity, so it is rarely used as agricultural land or forage land for animal feed. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) is a soil fungus that can help plants absorb water and nutrients so that it can help increase plant growth and productivity. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of AMF in increasing the productivity of Clitoria ternatea on saline soil. The research used a completely randomized design (CRD) with a factorial pattern of 5 x 3 with 8 replications. The results showed that the interaction effect of AMF treatment and saline soil was significant (P<0.05) for all variables. This study concluded that saline soil increased the proline content of Clitoria ternatea leaves, and reduced the amount of leaf chlorophyll. AMF could help Clitoria ternatea to overcome saline stress and reduce the use of fertilizer doses by 50%. The addition of AMF increased the total vertical length gain, canopy dry weight, percentage of root colonization, and root dry weight. The type of AMF product IPB 2 gave the best results.

THE MILK CATTLE BREDS’ SELECTION IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Research on the breeds’ composition placement and these ratio across the Russian regions in dynamics allow to identify the fundamental positions of dairy and dairymeat breeds’ rational zoning underlying. The most breeds for selection in various climatic zones are good adapted; for example, Holstein, Simmental and Black-and-white breeds of cattle in all federal districts are located. In turn, Ayrshire, Brown Schwyz, Red steppe, Red-and-white, Kholmogorskaya and Yaroslavlskaya breeds traditionally in areas with continental climate from moderate to sharply are bred. In oil production areas, those breeds that the greatest total milk fat and protein’s yield during the milk production period providing the most widespread they are used. High production breeds with low milk output for the best quality cheese production in the cheesemaking zones are located. Simmental and Brown Schwyz cattle mainly in areas with dairy and beef cattle selecting are bred, where animals at significant amount of coarse feed are fed. The Red steppe, Black-and-white and Kostromskaya breeds for areas with intensive forage production and dairy cattle keeping are most suitable. In grain areas with a land’s high intensive using, where arable land is over 60%, and natural forage lands are limited, cattle of the Simmental, Red steppe and Brown Schwyz breeds are concentrated. Black-mottled, Red-and-white breeds in areas where arable land have had 40-60% become more widespread. In areas with ploughed land up to 40% and significant areas of natural hayfields and pastures, Kholmogorskaya and Yaroslavskaya breeds are traditionally selected.

Features of operation of pastures of the Don basin

The purpose of the research was to identify the productivity of forage lands on the sandy lands of the Don basin and the optimal load on them of farm animals. The objects of research were pasture ecosystems of Ust-Khopersky, Chirsky, Kazansko-Veshensky, Tsimlyansky, Golubinsky, Archedinsko-Ilovlinsky-Don sand massifs. The work is based on the methods of landscape- bioecological research and the study of the development of phytocenoses. The optimal load of farm animals during their grazing is determined, taking into account the feed capacity of pastures and recommendations for the use of forage lands are given. Overgrown sands are the most productive (1.4-3.8 t/ha). Accordingly, they withstand the greatest load of livestock. When grazing cattle, the load on them should not exceed 0.2-0.4 head / ha, when grazing horses – 0.2-0.5 head / ha, when grazing sheep and goats – 1.0-2.9 head / ha. The most vulnerable areas are open and medium-grown sands. When grazing cattle, the load on them should not exceed 0.1-0.2 head / ha, when grazing horses – 0.1-0.4 head / ha, sheep and goats – 0.4-2.1 head / ha.

АГРОЛАНДШАФТНО-ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКОЕ РАЙОНИРОВАНИЕ – ОСНОВА УСТОЙЧИВОГО РАЗВИТИЯ СЕЛЬСКОГО ХОЗЯЙСТВА ВОСТОЧНОЙ СИБИРИ И ДАЛЬНЕГО ВОСТОКА

The study of the spatial distribution of landscape, biol ogical and ecological patterns is a necessary basis for the development of highly productive, and sustainable agriculture, which is one of the most important national priorities of Russia's development. In order to ensure optimal information management of the territory, agro-landscape and ecological zoning of natural forage lands of the East Siberian and Far Eastern natural and Economic regions of Russia has been developed. The materials of Soil-ecological zoning of the Russian Federation were used as the contour basis of agro-landscape-ecological zoning. Natural-agricultural and landscape-ecological zoning of the territory, ecological-geographical, geobotanical maps, data of the state land registration, ground and remote observations, literary, stock and other materials were also used. Zones, mountainous territories, provinces, districts are highlighted. The characteristics of land and fodder resources, the development of negative processes, the ecological state, the priorities of the development of zoning units are given. 136 zoning units have been allocated in Eastern Siberia. Agricultural lands occupy 24.7 million hectares, natural forage lands – 16.3 million hectares, deer pastures – 56.6 million hectares. 162 zoning units have been allocated in the Far East. Agricultural land occupies about 8 million hectares, of which arable land – 0.5%, hayfields – 0.4%, pastures – 0.4%, deer pastures – 184.2 million hectares, or 30% of the territory. The spatial placement of biological and ecological patterns of agrogeoecosystems are determined.

Response of bacterial communities to shrub encroachment and forage planting in alpine grassland of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Shrub encroachment and conversion of grazing land to forage cultivation are the main disturbance factors at alpine grasslands in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. Yet our understanding of soil bacterial communities impacts of these disturbances is limited. Using shrub (Potentilla fruticose) encroachment systems and forage lands (Medicago sativa lands, and Elymus sibiricus lands) as a model, we investigated the effects of shrub encroachment and land use on bacterial communities in alpine grass soil at the Eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau of China. Soil bacterial communities were examined using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene (V4-V5 region, Illumina MiSeq). Soil properties of TN and SOC were tested using an Elementar Variomax CNS Analyser (Elementar Corp., Germany). WEOC concentrations were determined following Ma's procedures, to answer the following hypotheses: i) shrub encroachment and forage cultivation would reduce soil organic carbon content, ii) the bacterial communities in shrub encroachment and forage lands are less diverse than those of alpine grassland, and iii) the occurrence of extensive mutualism or commensalism in alpine grassland, and competition or mutual exclusion in shrub encroachment and forage land. In this study, we found that SOC and TN decreased on shrub encroached and forage lands, supporting our first hypothesis. In total, 56 bacterial phyla were identified across the sampling sites. The dominant phyla at the four plots, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Chloroflexi, accounted for 27–28%, 13–30%, 13–26%, 4–8% and 4–9% of the total population, respectively. Contrary to our expectation, alpha-diversities (phylogenetic diversity, Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) richness, Shannon, and Chao1) were consistently higher in disturbed soils than in alpine grassland, and the highest appeared in Medicago sativa lands compared to other sites. Soil texture and soil organic carbon together explained 30% of the total variations of bacterial communities, indicating that bacterial habitat (e.g. soil texture) and substrate (soil organic carbon) were affected in shrub encroachment and forage lands. Copiotrophs (Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria) and Nitrospirae were enriched in alpine grassland, while oligotrophs (Acidobacteria) were concentrated in shrub encroached and forage lands, indicating that shrub encroachment and conversion of alpine grassland to forage land may alter bacterial life history strategies. Through the phylogenetic molecular ecological network approach, we found that the bacterial network of alpine grassland was more complex than that of shrub and forage lands. Furthermore, the bacterial network of alpine grassland was more modular, and the taxa tended to co-occur, with positive associations accounting for 95% of all potential interactions. By contrast, negative interactions appeared more in shrub encroached (34%) and forage land (33%) compared to alpine grassland. This indicated that bacterial species have greater niche-sharing and more collaboration in alpine grassland than in shrub and forage lands. In conclusion, our findings revealed that shrub encroachment and conversion of alpine grassland to forage increased competition of bacterial species for substrates, with potential for serious consequences such as elevating losses of soil carbon.

THE IMPACT OF AGRO-CLIMATIC FACTORS ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS OF ORENBURG REGION

Currently, the shortage of fresh water is an important abiotic factor limiting the survival, growth and distribution of plants in semi-arid areas. The productivity of natural forage lands is influenced by seasonal fluctuations in temperature and precipitation, especially characteristic of the steppe Orenburg region. The uneven intra-annual distribution of precipitation does not meet the water needs of the phytocenosis in the vegetative phase of development. The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of atmospheric precipitation on agricultural forage lands of Orenburg region. An important and necessary task is to assess the interaction of agro-climatic factors on the development of agricultural land is an important and necessary task. The research area is located in a zone with a semiarid (semi-arid) climate of temperate latitudes of the Orenburg Urals of the Orenburg region (Orenburg region, Russia). Studies of agricultural land were carried out on 4 plots in the vicinity of the village of Nezhinka, Orenburg district, Orenburg region. For this purpose, various facies of agricultural lands located on the supports of watershed surfaces are identified and analyzed. To study local geosystems of various facies, we used camera methods, aerospace images and in-kind observations. Statistical and mathematical processing of digital data was carried out according to the StatsoftStatisticav 6.1 RUS program. Elements of descriptive statistics of average annual indicators (total precipitation per year, precipitation during the growing season, productivity of natural lands) revealed that the theory of normality was not rejected. The analysis of the average long-term data on the amount of precipitation and their relationship with the productivity of natural forage lands shows a reliable positive correlation between these parameters, at r2 = 0.95. In the conditions of the semi-arid zone during the growing season, plants use the moisture of atmospheric precipitation most effectively

Conservation of natural forage lands on the territory of korocha district

The current system of land protection in agriculture in our country, due to the influence of various natural and economic factors, does not ensure their rational use and preservation. More than 43 million hectares of arable land are withdrawn from economic turnover and are subjected to various types of degradation, transferred to other land categories for purposes not related to agricultural production. In the current situation implementation of measures on conservation and restoration of agricultural lands, their return to agricultural turnover as needed becomes an important direction of regulation of agricultural land use, capable to provide high economic efficiency of land use and protection. Planning of these measures in the general system of land protection should form the basis of the land policy of the state aimed at ensuring food security of the country. For this purpose, it will be necessary to form conditions for organization of rational and effective use of land resources, one of the directions is conservation of forage lands.

Recommended load standards for pastures in arid zones of the Russian Federation

Livestock pastures are the main source of feed. However, they are vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts, which are constantly under stress and as a result affect biodiversity and the quality of the pasture ecosystem. When overloading of the permissible grazing rate of animals is allowed on pastures, depending mainly on the load of pastures by cattle, leads to irreparable changes in the ecological balance in nature. Analyzing the main points of the relationship between animals and pastures, some problems are highlighted, suggestions are given on pasture turnover schemes for the main forage lands. The aim of the study was the need for rational use of pastures for grazing cattle and cattle in the semi-desert zone of the Russian Federation. For this purpose, the norms of pasture load by cattle were calculated depending on their yield and nutritional value. The nutritional value of pastures depends on the species composition of the vegetation cover. The load rate is calculated for seasonal pastures.

Improving of ecological and economic management of land resources by with zonal aspect

Introduction. The development of land relations in Ukraine has led to changes in land management. The redistribution of land as the main national wealth of our state have exacerbated the economic and environmental problems of agricultural land use. Ukrainian agricultural producers must to ensure effective competition, production of environmentally friendly products, focus on the world market and determine the need to improve environmental and economic management of land resources. The purpose of article. The purpose of the study is the theoretical and methodological justification of ecological and economic management of land resources in the structure of zonal approaches to the formation and development of agricultural enterprises and the development of practical recommendations for improving the efficiency of land use by agricultural producers. Methods. The research used scientific and methodological foundations of natural-agricultural zoning of the territory of Ukraine, the allocation of taxonomic units of zoning and their main characteristics. Results of work. The scientific novelty of the obtained results concerns the improvement of ecological and economic management of land resources of agricultural enterprises in the conditions of zoning, taking into account the potential of agricultural areas. Economic and ecological management of land resources of agricultural enterprises should be considered as an activity in agricultural production aimed at providing the population with food and other sectors of the national economy with raw materials at the optimal level of investment in resources and their maximum return in compliance with environmental goals and programs. Agricultural zoning as a branch in the agricultural sector of the economy is highlighted, its component structure is revealed. The agrarian zone includes homogeneous land massifs with the corresponding production potential and level of ecological and anthropogenic loading and allows public administration bodies to be defined with potential possibilities of production activity of the agrarian enterprises. Within the Sumy region, four agricultural zones were identified, and in the Kharkiv region, three. Depending on the affiliation of land use to the agrarian zone, the agricultural enterprise receives information on zoning crops most suitable for cultivation on its territory, types of crop rotations, technological measures for land use and protection, restrictions on growing certain crops. Economic indicators of enterprise development, such as specialization, concentration and integration of production, with skillful application will help increase the efficiency of land use. Socio-economic classification features of agricultural zoning will determine the level of labor efficiency and the integration of labor. To economically justify the coefficients of the optimal ratio of land using a zonal approach and to take into account the area of eroded, unproductive and contaminated land located in the administrative-territorial units, the optimal ratio of land was determined (arable land: natural forage lands: forests and other forests): in the Sumy region: 1.00: 0.43: 0.39; in the Kharkiv region: 1.00: 0.23: 0.25. When introducing research into production, we take into account that ecological zoning restricts the cultivation of certain crops, taking into account local characteristics.

Results of research of the combined seeder for strip sowing of grasses into sod

The development of ecological agriculture has aroused interest to the technology of increasing the productivity of natural forage lands, which consists in strip sowing of grasses with mechanical tillage in the sod of strips, the size of which ensures the successful development of seedlings without the use of chemicals. Several models of seeders SDK have been developed and mass-produced to implement this technology. A further development of this type of machines is the creation of a mounted seeder SDK-2.8M, intended for direct strip sowing of grass seeds into sod with the application of a starting dose of mineral fertilizers. To evaluate the efficiency of the seeder SDK-2.8M in the autumn of 2022, stand and field tests were carried out in the fields of the North-East Federal Research Center. Stand tests on sowing seeds of meadow fescue and red clover showed that the range of gear ratios of the seeder from 0.104 to 0.900 allows to set the seeding rate in the interval of 2.5-140.4 kg/ha. The sowing part ensures uniform distribution of seeds over the feed rolls and the stability of sowing by each feed roll in accordance with agrotechnical requirements. The deviation of the actual seeding rate from preassigned (6.0 kg/ha) for sowing fescue is 2.6%, clover – 2.3%; uneven seeding between feed rolls for fescue – 3.61%, for clover – 5.36%; seeding instability for fescue – 4.83%, for clover – 6.03%. Field tests revealed that the seeder stably performs tillage and clover sowing, maintains the working width and the installation depth of tillage. The average tillage depth was equal to 68 mm, the crumbling of the soil (fraction up to 25 mm) – 85.1%, the average depth of seeding – 16.4 mm, density after rolling – 1.1 g/cm3 .The use of a frame of the original design made it possible to reduce the number of assembly units of the tillage part and auxiliary mechanisms, which reduced the mass of the seeder by 640 kg, in comparison with SDKP-2.8M, while maintaining agrotechnical performance indicators.

Plant succession of natural grasslands under radical improvement in the southern forest-steppe of the Western Siberia

The low fodder productivity of vast areas of natural forage lands in Siberia necessitates their radical improvement. High fodder productivity will strengthen the fodder base of the region, which is important for the developing cattle breeding. The authors carried out an experiment of radical improvement of natural grasslands in order to clarify and develop methods of increasing the productivity of natural grasslands in the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia. The authors studied the effect of two factors: The first factor - tillage followed by sowing of perennial grasses; The second factor - the effect of organic fertilizers (20 t/ha). By the second year of observations in the variant where soil disking was carried out, only motley grasses were noted. Disking followed by seeding of perennial grasses promoted the development of seeded grasses (80% of the composition of the herbage). The remaining niche of grass stand was occupied by motley grasses. The influence of organic fertilizers in the second year of observations almost does not affect the structure of herbage, only in the variant with the sowing of grasses the distribution of different botanical groups is more uniform. The composition of grass stand changes significantly between the second and sixth years of observations under the influence of tillage and organic fertilizers. The development of cereals and legumes in the herbage in the variant without tillage in the third and subsequent years is noted. By the sixth year of observations in the herbage remain only cereal grass (60%) and mixed grass (40%). Dynamics of herbage structure by years of development on the background of organic fertilizers differs little from the herbage without fertilizers. By the second year of observations, there is no significant influence of fertilizers and tillage on the yield of grasses. In the sixth year of observations (2016) there was a significant influence of organic fertilizers. Even without soil treatment, the yield almost doubled from 0.6 t/ha in the version without fertilizers to 1.1 t/ha of absolutely dry matter in fertilized variants. The greatest increase in yield was noted in the variant with discing, 2.7 times (from 0.6 to 1.6 t/ha); in the variant with grass seeding and discing 1.4 times (from 1.1 to 1.6 t/ha) (absolute dry matter). The effect of tillage on the yield without fertilizer was much less. Consequently, tillage and fertilization contribute to a more uniform distribution of representatives of different botanical groups of grasses in the herbage. The productivity of the natural meadow increases significantly by the sixth year of observations after the improvement.