Native Forage Research Articles

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.

Seed Weight and Trade-Offs: An Experiment in False Rhodes Grasses under Different Aridity Conditions.

The false Rhodes grasses [Leptochloa crinita (Lag.) P.M. Peterson and N.W. Snow and Leptochloa pluriflora (E. Fourn.) P.M. Peterson and N.W. Snow] are considered valuable native forage resources for arid and semiarid rangelands in Argentina and the United States. Effectively using plant materials as forage under aridity conditions requires understanding their resource allocation under those conditions. In the present study, plant functional traits were evaluated in six populations of each false Rhodes grass species from different geographic origin in a humid and an arid region. The evaluation was focused on seed weight, due to the key role of this trait in plant survival. The implication of seed weight in germination under osmotic stress and trade-off relationships between functional traits were also analysed. A fixed ontogenetic variation was found in both species, since populations maintained a stable seed weight across environments. The tolerance to osmotic stress at germination stage was more related to seed weight than to population origin or maternal environment of seeds; heavier-seeded populations produced heavier seedlings instead of a higher number of germinated seeds or higher germination rates. Some traits varied between environments but other traits exhibited a fixed response. Variation patterns among populations were similar within environments and in some cases even for populations from the same geographic origin, revealing a fixed ontogenetic variation; this phenomenon was clearer in L. crinita than in L. pluriflora. Moreover, several different trade-off strategies were detected in both species. These results reinforce the knowledge about the key role of seed weight in survival and performance of seedlings at initial growth stages under arid conditions; however, at advanced stages, other traits would have an important function in growth and development of false Rhodes grasses.

Hidden reserves of the Vasyugan swamps for the production of beekeeping products

In recent years, the demand for organic products has increased on the world market, including environmentally friendly and healthy beekeeping bioproducts. Organic beekeeping currently exists in 60 countries around the world. In our country, there are vast territories for creating apiaries of a new topical direction. These territories are located north of the Trans-Siberian Railway from the right bank of the Irtysh to the left bank of the Ob - these are the Vasyugan swamps. Administratively, Vasyuganye unites the Omsk, Tomsk, and Novosibirsk regions. This territory is located in the wind rose, where the air masses of cities with industrial gases bypass it. Therefore, bee products collected by bees do not contain harmful elements. At present almost no one lives here and does not engage in agriculture. As a result of a survey of the natural forage base of the Vasyugan swamps, the authors discovered the most important honey plants and perganos. These are common coltsfoot, soft fluffy lungwort, marsh marigold, medicinal dandelion, late dandelion, Asian bathing suit, willows, warty birch, fluffy birch, ivy-like budra, bird cherry, white clover, black currant, yellow acacia, Siberian snakehead, chistets swamp, forest kupyr, mouse peas, thin-leaved peas, meadow geranium, forest geranium, forest raspberry, dissected cow parsnip, forest angelica, common goutweed, wild parsnip, common serpukha, field bodyak. Thus, this area is a rich pasture for bees. The authors recommend sowing wastelands with yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis L.) and white sweet clover (Melilotus albus Medik.) if it is expedient to organize apiaries in Vasyuganye. This area will always be well visited by bees and provide honey collection from 5 to 10 kg per day for several years.

Consumption of Diets Based on Native Forages, Pumpkin and Corn by Collared Peccary (Pecari tajacu)

Aims: The study was carried out to evaluate the effect of the consumption of corn-based diets mixed with Brosimum alicastrum or pumpkin (Cucurbita sp) forage, on live weight, in the number of erythrocytes, leukocytes and serum urea nitrogen, in collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu) in captivity.
 Study Design: A four-treatment longitudinal comparative experiment with a repeated measures design was applied.
 Place and Duration of Study: Xmatkuil Wildlife Conservation Management Unit, in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, for three months.
 Methodology: Nine adult female collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu) were subjected to voluntary consumption of the following diets: T1: Diet with 60% of corn and 40% dry B. alicastrum forage, T2: Diet with 40% corn and 60% dry B. alicastrum, T3: Diet with 60% corn and 40% fresh pumpkin on dry matter basis, T4: Diet with 40% corn and 60% fresh pumpkin, for 14 days for each treatment. The dry matter intake of each treatment, live weight, number of leukocytes, erythrocytes and serum urea nitrogen in each of the specimens were measured. Response variables in each treatment were compared with repeated measures ANOVA or Friedman's test if parametric analysis requirements were not met.
 Results: There was no significant difference between live weights in each treatment (P=05) but there was a significant difference in dry matter intake between treatments. There was no significant difference in erythrocyte levels between treatments. There was no difference in leukocyte levels between treatments (P=0.05), but there was a difference in the means of urea nitrogen between treatments.
 Conclusion: Pumpkin diets with corn show higher levels of dry matter intake, higher levels of urea Nitrogen and a greater number of erythrocytes than diets with corn and dry B: alicastrum, so it is suggested that diets with pumpkin and corn are more suitable than with corn and dry B. alicastrum.

An Invasive Plant Parthenium hysterophorus Reduces Native Forage Cover

While some research has been conducted in sub–Saharan Africa on the alien invasive Parthenium hysterophorus, little work has assessed whether it is poses negative impact on native forages. A field survey was carried out to study the dominant co–existing plant species, and its impact on plant abundance, species, and native forage cover. We found that non–natives were the dominant co–existing plants with P. hysterophorus compared to natives. Plant species (r = -0.889, P = 0.043) and abundance (r = -0.968, P = 0.007) decreased with increasing invasive percent cover. Moreover, native forage plant (Brachiaria reptans; r = -0.922, P = 0.026), Cynodon dactylon; r = -0.972, P = 0.006, Digitaria milanjiana; r = -0.938, P = 0.018, and Indigofera spicata; r = -0.977, P = 0.004) percent cover decreased with increasing invasive percent cover. The study concludes that P. hysterophorus negatively affects plant diversity, and thus, should controlled.

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

Evolutionary divergence in phenotypic plasticity shapes brain size variation between coexisting sunfish ecotypes.

Mechanisms that generate brain size variation and the consequences of such variation on ecological performance are poorly understood in most natural animal populations. We use a reciprocal-transplant common garden experiment and foraging performance trials to test for brain size plasticity and the functional consequences of brain size variation in Pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus) ecotypes that have diverged between nearshore littoral and offshore pelagic lake habitats. Different age-classes of wild-caught juveniles from both habitats were exposed for 6 months to treatments that mimicked littoral and pelagic foraging. Plastic responses in oral jaw size suggested that treatments mimicked natural habitat-specific foraging conditions. Plastic brain size responses to foraging manipulations differed between ecotypes, as only pelagic sourced fish showed brain size plasticity. Only pelagic juveniles under 1year-old expressed this plastic response, suggesting that plastic brain size responses decline with age and so may be irreversible. Finally, larger brain size was associated with enhanced foraging performance on live benthic but not pelagic prey, providing the first experimental evidence of a relationship between brain size and prey-specific foraging performance in fishes. The recent post-glacial origin of these ecotypes suggests that brain size plasticity can rapidly evolve and diverge in fish under contrasting ecological conditions.

Biological characteristics of the promissory forage native legume Trifolium polymorphum poir. (fabaceae, faboideae)

The biological characterization of Trifolium polymorphum Poir., a promissory native forage is presented and taken as a model for its amphicarpy between both reproductive modes. Its esteemed productive and biological characteristics, as well as the good adaptation to climatic and edaphic conditions of the region, high persistency in the sward and plasticity, are shown; despite its low vegetative production, the response to phosphoric fertilization is significantly high. Biological, organological, ecological, and productive aspects are also described and discussed. The first of them derived from the reproductive double strategy which develops into high subterranean autogamic seed production, leading to genetical homogeneity of their offspring and the lower aerial seed production with a high impact on population dispersion.

Vegetation of the southern part of the Caspian Coast and its nutritional value

To provide the food safety of the population around the globe, including Azerbaijan, it is relevant to develop scientific and practical basics for preservation of natural forage plants, efficient use, improvement of biodiversity, and also prevention of degradation processes in phytodiversity. From this perspective, the composition of vegetation is important for assessing the dynamics of productivity, quality of feeds, norms of cattle grazing and parameters of ecological evaluation of plants and soils which are common in the grazing area, in meadow-steppe phytocenoses, which are a valuable resource of livestock breeding on the Caspian Coast. We analyzed the parameters of meadow-steppe vegetation, common in yellow-podzolized soils. Meadow-steppe vegetation that is used as a natural feeding ground varies by species composition, structure of communities and productivity.

Genetic Parameters, Prediction of Gains and Intraspecific Hybrid Selection of Paspalum notatum Flügge for Forage Using REML/BLUP

Genetic improvement of native forage species is a sustainable alternative for maximizing livestock production. Paspalum notatum Flügge is the most important forage grass in the native grasslands of southern Brazil, with substantial potential available for further genetic improvement. The objective of this study was to quantify a range of genetic parameters and predict yield gains in a population of P. notatum intraspecific hybrids. Results indicated intraspecific hybrids of P. notatum had high magnitudes of heritability in the broad and average sense of genotype, plus high selective accuracy and genetic variation for all forage characteristics evaluated. This indicated REML/BLUP can contribute useful information for plant selection in future plant breeding programs. The genetic material studied showed high genetic variability for forage production. Analysis indicated hybrids 336, 332, 437, 132 and male parent ‘30N’ should be included in new crosses to increase the dry matter production of P. notatum. Parents need to be selected from different groups in order to maximize genetic variability and heterosis. In addition, these parents must be included in diallel crosses. The results obtained in this study provide important information for the future breeding of improved P. notatum cultivars for commercialization.

Rise in temperature increases growth and yield of Manihot sp. plants

The selection of native forage species with yield potential under climate change scenarios can strengthen resilience of the Brazilian semiarid region. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of increasing temperature on growth and morphological and yield responses of plants of the genus Manihot. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 2×9 factorial arrangement (two temperature regimes and nine genotypes). The increase in temperature promoted higher plant dry mass (PDM) for genotypes A:24, A:79, A:102, A:EL, and A:GO during establishment. The percentage of leaves was reduced with the highest temperatures in the establishment, except for genotypes A:20, A:21, and A:GO. The increase in temperature during regrowth increased leaf dry mass (LDM) and reduced the leaf to stem ratio, except for A:24, A:79, and A:102, which presented similar values at both temperatures. Species of the genus Manihot respond differently to the 4.8 °C increase in air temperature. The increase in temperature shows a positive impact on the biomass production of species of this genus.

Whiskers as hydrodynamic prey sensors in foraging seals

The darkness of the deep ocean limits the vision of diving predators, except when prey emit bioluminescence. It is hypothesized that deep-diving seals rely on highly developed whiskers to locate their prey. However, if and how seals use their whiskers while foraging in natural conditions remains unknown. We used animal-borne tags to show that free-ranging elephant seals use their whiskers for hydrodynamic prey sensing. Small, cheek-mounted video loggers documented seals actively protracting their whiskers in front of their mouths with rhythmic whisker movement, like terrestrial mammals exploring their environment. Seals focused their sensing effort at deep foraging depths, performing prolonged whisker protraction to detect, pursue, and capture prey. Feeding-event recorders with light sensors demonstrated that bioluminescence contributed to only about 20% of overall foraging success, confirming that whiskers play the primary role in sensing prey. Accordingly, visual prey detection complemented and enhanced prey capture. The whiskers' role highlights an evolutionary alternative to echolocation for adapting to the extreme dark of the deep ocean environment, revealing how sensory abilities shape foraging niche segregation in deep-diving mammals. Mammals typically have mobile facial whiskers, and our study reveals the significant function of whiskers in the natural foraging behavior of a marine predator. We demonstrate the importance of field-based sensory studies incorporating multimodality to better understand how multiple sensory systems are complementary in shaping the foraging success of predators.

Quality assessment of some commercially produced animal feeds and two native forages in southern Nigeria

Samples of broiler starter feed, grower mash, broiler finisher feed and layers mash were collected from three commercial feed manufacturers and were coded commercial feed A (CFA), commercial feed B (CFB) and commercial feed C (CFC). The proximate compositions of the feed samples were determined using the methods of the Association of the Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). Forage samples of Andropogon gayanus and Panicum maximum at young growth stage were also collected from two locations, Ado-Ekiti and Port Harcourt (PH). The proximate composition for broiler starter feed was 8.2% DM, 19.9%CP, 3.2% crude fat, 4.2% crude fibre, 10.3% ash, and 2893.8kcal/kg ME. Growers mash had 8.2% DM, 15.1% CP, 2.0 % crude fat, 5.3% crude fibre, 14.0% ash and 2663.3kcal/kg energy. The results of A. gayanus from Ado-Ekiti was 11.46% DM, 9.16% CP, 0.89 fat, 32.18% crude fibre, 8.07% ash, and 1103.6kcal/kg energy, while P. maximum had 16.37% DM, 11.50%CP, 1.21% crude fat, 32.65% crude fibre 8.78% ash and 1215.4kcal/kg energy. Proximate composition of A. gayanus from PH was 10.38% DM, 10.823% CP, 0.883% crude fat, 30.803% crude fibre, 8.807% ash, and 1176.382kcal/kg energy. The results of the poultry feeds revealed little variation from what the labels state. Panicum maximum showed more promise than A. gayanus. Results of the proximate analysis of the poultry feed and forages examined in this study suggest that the commercial feed producers largely maintain the required nutritive contents of the feed types they produce, and the forages hold quality promise as feed resource for ruminants and forage reserve consideration. It is therefore, recommended that regular monitoring and screening of feed and feed resources should be done and sustained to ensure the safety and quality of animal feed.

OPENING UP FORAGE FIELDS DURING THE SNOWY SEASON - AN EFFECTIVE WINTER BIOTECHNICAL TECHNIQUE FOR FEEDING WILD CLOVEN-HOOFED MAMMALS

Despite the technical diversity of techniques for winter feeding of wild ungulates, technologies for opening up forage fields during abnormal periods of the wintering cycle have serious biological potential. In winter, when high snow cover blocks access of ungulates to natural forage in form of fallen leaves and grass rags under snow, clearing biotechnical fields before vegetation becomes exposed is an efficient method of feeding the wintering fauna, especially for Siberian roe deer. By clearing snow from “winter pastures”, where biotech crops and grasses such as sunflowers, oats, peas, and alfalfa were sown, large roe deer groups can be provided with a good and balanced forage ration. Taken together, these biotechnical measures compensate for the lowering of the level of forage resources during winter anomalies and encourage the dynamics of roe deer population growth and the process of reproduction in this species.

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.

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.

Social Cultural Characteristics of Farmers and Types of Plant Cultivated on Local Native Forage Sources in Kupang Regency

The local native forage sources in Kupang Regency have their own specifications due to different management. This research is aimed at describing socio- cultural characteristics of farmers and the types of plant cultivated on local native forage sources planted in the farms in Kupang Regency. It was conducted in Oeletsala Village, Taebenu Sub-District, Kupang Regency from August 2015 to April 2017. The research method was survey, direct observation and measurement in the field as well as secondary data collection. The data were analyzed descriptively in the form of averages, tables and graphs. The results showed that amarasi farm were more widely distributed than dry mamar and selobua. Most of the farmers were at their productive age, have elementary school education, and 1-4 family members. The background of farming and the reasons for choosing the type of farms were varied. Likewise, the types of plants were also varied. Utilization of the types of plants have experienced a shift from conservation goals to multi-function. In amarasi, dry mamar and selobua farm were found 62, 77 and 53 types of plants. Forage which is commonly used at the farmer level were 13 species dominated by Leucaena leucocephala. While, 23 other commodities were not forage and they were harvested in certain seasons and for household needs. In conclusion, the farmers were at their productive age, with low education, and small family size. The background of establishing the farms and the reasons for choosing the type of farms varied. The types of plants have been shifted from conservation goals to being multi-purposes. The types of plants that were widely developed other than forage are dominated by food crops and horticulture. The three types farms can have a positive impact on feed and food security, source of farmer’s income and land conservation

Forage yield of tetraploid bahiagrass hybrids

In Southern Brazil, much of the livestock activity is developed in native grasslands. Studies about forage traits, frost tolerance and nutritional value of native forage species there has been increasing with better results of productive efficiency (animal gain). The objective of this work was to evaluate forage yield of forty-five intraspecific hybrids of segregating progenies of bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flügge) from agronomic analyses under greenhouse conditions and determine the reproduction mode of selected hybrids. The hybrids had great variability in all agronomic characteristics measured. The plants with the highest total dry mass production were 17PN10P3 and 17PN29P1 (sexual reproduction), 17PN10P5, 17PN16P3 and 17PN28P4 (apomictic reproduction). The high correlation of the total dry mass with tillers number and with the root dry mass demonstrate that the hybrids can be used as forage and also to reduce the effects of soil erosion in degraded areas. The evaluations of agronomic characteristics and the determination of the mode of reproduction of the selected hybrids allowed the identification of promising genetic materials for forage yield and to soil cover, selecting them for additional stages in the breeding program.

Prey-switching to fishery discards does not compensate for poor natural foraging conditions in breeding albatross

Abstract Fishery discards supplement food for many seabirds, but the impacts of declining discards are poorly understood. Discards may be beneficial for some populations but have negative impacts by increasing bycatch risk or because they are junk-food. The Falkland Islands support > 70% of global black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris populations, which feed on discards. However, the effect of discards on population demographics, and implications of fishery management changes, are unknown. We analysed stomach contents of black-browed albatross chicks across eight breeding seasons (2004–2020) from New Island, Falkland Islands, to assess variation in discard consumption and how this relates to foraging conditions and breeding success. Across years, 68%–98% of samples contained natural prey, whilst 23%–88% of samples contained fishery discards. Discard consumption was positively related to fishery catches of hoki Macruronus magellanicus and sea surface temperature anomalies SSTA (°C), and negatively related to breeding success. These results suggest a diet-switching behaviour for Falkland Islands albatrosses, whereby birds switch from preferred natural prey to suboptimal discards when environmental conditions, and hence natural feeding opportunities, are unfavourable. Crucially, this study highlights that fishery discards do not compensate for poor natural foraging conditions for breeding albatrosses in the long term.

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.