Grass Mixtures for the Creation of High-Quality Intensive Haymaking in the Semi-Desert Zone of Russia

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to improve the species composition of grass mixtures under irrigated conditions to increase their productivity, longevity and provide livestock with high-quality feed. The experiments were performed in 2019-2022 on old plowed lands located in the right-bank steppe of the north of Astrakhan region under irrigation. Irrigation method: sprinkling, 10 vegetation irrigations per season. The soil is light chestnut, medium loamy with a humus content of 0.90...1.00%. mobile phosphorus and potassium (according to Machigin) – 69 and 361.5 mg/kg, respectively. We studied 6 variants of grass mixtures: control (creeping wheatgrass, angustifolia bluegrass, awnless brome, coastal sedge, swamp grass, California cocklebur); grass mixture 1 – 25:25:25:25% (blue hybrid alfalfa, meadow clover, meadow timothy, meadow fescue; grass mixture 2 – 30:40:30% (meadow clover, multi-cut ryegrass, meadow fescue; grass mixture 3 – 50:50% ; (meadow clover and reed grass); grass mixture 4 – 25:25:25:25% (eastern goat’s rue, meadow clover, multi-cut ryegrass, meadow fescue; grass mixture 5 – 25:25:25:25% (meadow clover, meadow timothy) , multi-cut ryegrass, common beckmania); grass mixture 6 – 50:25:25% (meadow clover, festulolium, intermediate wheatgrass. The most productive were grass mixtures No. 1 and No. 2 – 147.6 and 156.3 t/ha of green mass, which higher than the control by 134.3 and 143.0 t/ha, respectively. All studied options were distinguished by high nutritional value - the content of feed units per 1 kg of dry biomass varied from 0.75 kg per 1 kg of feed for grass mixture No. 2 to 0.85. kg per 1 kg of feed for grass mixture No. 5. When feeding all grass mixtures with hay, the animals had a higher average daily weight gain (1.2...1.7 higher) in terms of nutritional value, compared to feeding with hay from natural grass. The high productivity and price of hay of legume-grass grass mixtures determine the high profitability (177%) of its production, which is 3.3 times higher than natural haymaking.