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Koenigia Weyrichii
Koenigia Weyrichii (Polygonum weyrichii), also Highlander Weirich, is a perennial fodder crop, plants belong to the Buckwheat family.
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Economic importance
Highlander (buckwheat) Weirich grows early, allows you to get the first cut in early summer, the second – in early autumn. Green mass is used fresh and canned for harvesting silage, haylage, vitamin feed.
The green mass of the mountaineer Weirich is characterized by a high content of protein and ascorbic acid. Good for pure ensiling, but better quality silage is obtained when combined ensiling with high carbohydrate crops. 100 kg of silage contains 12-16 feed units and 1.5-2.4 kg of digestible protein. The palatability of silage, especially combined, is good for animals – up to 35 kg per day per cow.
100 kg of green mass correspond to 13.5 feed units and contain 2.4 kg of digestible protein.
In addition to the Weirich mountaineer, attempts are being made to introduce other species into the culture, for example, mountain mountaineer, tannic mountaineer, Transbaikal mountaineer, Sakhalin mountaineer, fragrant mountaineer.
Crop history
For the first time in Russia, the highlander Weirich was sown at the end of the 19th century in the Botanical Garden of St. Petersburg.
Cultivation areas
In natural phytocenoses, the Weirich mountaineer is found on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, as well as in Japan.
Promising for growing in areas of sufficient moisture in Russia, as well as Belarus, the Baltic States, Ukraine.
Yield
The yield of green mass during the growing season reaches 35-75 t/ha.
Botanical description
Koenigia Weyrichii (Polygonum weyrichii Fr. Schmidt) is a perennial plant of the Buckwheat family. The plant is a large, well leafy shrub.
The root system includes the main well-developed root (rhizome, stem-root), thickens with age and lays more overwintering buds and adventitious roots.
The stem is straight, slightly curved at the nodes, hollow, furrowed, branches weakly, height up to 150-250 cm.
The leaves are large, broadly ovate, pubescent below.
The inflorescence is a loose, branched panicle. Flowers whitish-pink or red. Cross pollination.
The fruit is a trihedral brown nut. Weight of 1000 fruits – 2.0-3.0 g.
Biological features
Highlander Weirich refers to cold-resistant and winter-hardy plants. Rhizomes are able to withstand frosts down to -35 °C (Komi Institute of Biology). The leaves are partially damaged during spring and autumn frosts at -5 … -6 °C.
Moisture-loving, but drought-resistant. Plants are most sensitive to a lack of moisture in the first year of life, especially during the emergence of seedlings and post-emergence development, when the root system is formed. With age, the sensitivity to lack of moisture decreases, plants make good use of precipitation in the autumn-winter period.
Shade-tolerant, refers to plants of a long day.
It is not picky about soils. Medium loamy and sandy loamy soils with an acidity of pH 5.5-6.0 are considered optimal (according to other sources, pH 5.5-7.0).
Plant nutrition
With 1 ton of green mass, 4-5 kg of nitrogen, 0.9-1.0 kg of phosphorus, 5-6 kg of potassium, 1.9-2.3 kg of calcium are removed from the soil.
Vegetation
Highlander Weirich is characterized by rapid growth, aftertaste, ecological plasticity and undemanding to cultivation conditions. The life span of plants is 10-15 years.
The type of development is spring.
In the first year it grows slowly, strongly oppressed by weeds. In the second and subsequent years, it begins to grow immediately after the snow melts. The largest increase in the above-ground mass gives during the period of budding – flowering.
Regrowth after mowing depends on moisture, observed after 1-2 weeks. Shoots appear from buds located on the rhizome and lower uncut stem nodes.
The maximum productivity of crops is noted for 3-4 years and is maintained in subsequent years of life.
Crop rotation
Under the perennial plantations of the mountaineer Weirich, an out-of-crop area clean of weeds is allocated near livestock farms, where seeds are sown or rhizomatous cuttings (seedlings) are planted.
Good predecessors include row and leguminous crops.
Fertilizer
According to the studies of Moscow Agricultural Academy and the Komi Institute of Biology, it is recommended to apply 60-90 t/ha of manure , 4-6 t/ha of lime and 60-90 kg/ha of a.s. to the soil for plowing. mineral fertilizers. Lime fertilizers are best applied with manure.
However, the application of organic and mineral fertilizers in terms of the planned yield in terms of the removal of nutrients with the crop, taking into account the effective soil fertility, the utilization factors of soil nutrients and fertilizer, gives greater efficiency. So, in the Moscow Agricultural Academy experiments, on average over four years, when applying the calculated norms of fertilizers for the planned yield in terms of wet weight, the yield of the mountaineer Weirich was 60.5 t/ha, in terms of dry weight – 10.5 t/ha, while with the introduction of the recommended norms ( 60 tons of manure and N60P60K60) respectively 52.4 t/ha and 9.1 t/ha; the yield on the control without fertilizers was 44.0 t/ha and 7.7 t/ha.
Tillage
With the seed method of laying a plantation, pre-sowing tillage should be more thorough, since this is a small-seeded crop that, when germinating, brings the cotyledons to the surface.
After plowing, disking and leveling of the soil are carried out. Rolling is done before sowing.
Sowing
The seeds of the Koenigia Weyrichii mountaineer are sown in late autumn before the onset of frost. When sown in spring, seedling density decreases sharply. For sowing, vegetable seeders СО-4.2 are used. The sowing method is wide-row with row spacing of 60-70 cm. The seeding rate is 6-8 kg/ha, the seed sowing depth is 1-2 cm. A square-nested sowing method is also possible.
Seeds are poorly stored, after a year they sharply reduce germination, so it is recommended to use freshly harvested seeds of the current year for sowing. When spring sowing, the seeds are subjected to stratification for 20-25 days.
Planting with seedlings is also possible, which is carried out by transplanters in early spring when the shoots grow back. The planting method is also wide-row with row spacing of 60-70 cm and a distance in rows of 40-60 cm. Seedlings are prepared on ridges, sowing seeds before winter using a vegetable seeder. At the same time, the row spacing is 20 cm, the seeding rate is 30 kg/ha. 100 m 2 of nursery is enough for laying 1 hectare of plantation.
The main advantage of the seedling method is much less concern for the cleanliness of plantings from weeds.
Crop care
Highlander Weirich develops slowly in the first year of life, so the main task in caring for crops is weed control. To do this, 2-4 inter-row treatments are performed, if necessary, herbicides are used.
In the second and subsequent years of life, in early spring and after the first harvest, inter-row cultivation is carried out using cultivators KRN-4.2. At the same time, top dressing is done with mineral fertilizers N60-90P60-90K60-90.
Periodically, after 2-3 years, rotted manure is applied to the plantations in autumn or early spring at a rate of 15-20 t/ha. After 4-5 years, surface liming of the soil is carried out.
Harvest
Harvesting of the green mass of the mountaineer Weirich in the first year of life, as a rule, is not carried out, since the yield is low, and mowing weakens the plants. The exception is the seedling sowing method, in which it is possible to get a small cut of 15-20 t/ha in the first year of the plantation life without damaging the plants for overwintering.
From the second and subsequent years of life, harvesting for green fodder and grass flour is carried out in the budding phase, for silage and haylage – in the phase of mass flowering of plants. For harvesting, forage harvesters КС-2,6А, Е-281, КСК-100, КПКУ-75 are used. The second cutting is formed by the end of August – the beginning of September.
According to the Moscow Agricultural Academy data, in the central regions of the Non-Chernozem Zone, harvesting is recommended in late June – early July. So, when harvesting in the flowering phase, the yield of raw and dry mass was, respectively: on June 20 – 71.6 t/ha and 10.5 t/ha; June 30 – 74.8 t/ha and 12.2 t/ha; July 10 – 56.5 t/ha and 12.5 t/ha. It is expedient to alternate two-cut harvesting of plantations every 2-3 years with single-cut harvesting.
Growing for seeds
Highlander Weirich is able to produce seeds in almost all regions of Russia, with the exception of the northern ones.
Ripening of fruits is strongly extended. Ordinary forage crops can be allocated for seed plants, alternating them according to the years of use for fodder or seed purposes.
Harvesting for seeds is started when 70% of the seeds in the panicle reach the phase of wax ripeness. Semi-mounted sorghum harvesters, for example, СМ-2.6, can be used to harvest seeds, which allows you to cut panicles at a height of 140-250 cm. Cut panicles are dried under a canopy, threshing is carried out on a current. The yield of seeds with this method of harvesting reaches 300 kg/ha with high sowing qualities.
After the seed collection is completed, the green above-ground mass can be harvested with forage harvesters.
Sources
Fundamentals of agricultural production technology. Agriculture and crop production. Ed. V.S. Niklyaev. – M .: “Epic”, 2000. – 555 p.
Meadow foxtail
Meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis) is a fodder crop related to perennial cereal grasses.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org©Stefan.lefnaer (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Economic importance
One of the best perennial grasses suitable for growing in periodically flooded areas.
After grazing quickly grows back. In the forest zone it can bleed 3-4 times during the summer.
When used for hay, it allows you to get two cuts with a total yield of 3-4 t/ha. Gives the greatest yields for 3-4 years of life.
Meadow foxtail is considered an excellent cereal component of grass mixtures in hay and pasture crop rotations. It is used in mixtures with other herbs to create long-term cultivated pastures.
Cultivation areas
It has become widespread in the Non-Chernozem zone and mountainous regions, partly in the forest-steppe zone in wet meadows.
Botanical description
Meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis L.) is a perennial grass, high rhizome and locust types.
The stem is well leafy. Plant height 70-120 cm.
Inflorescence – ear (sultan). In appearance, it is similar to the meadow timothy inflorescence, but not cylindrical, but a sultan tapering upwards, and is also distinguished by a greater softness of the inflorescence.
Biological features
It gives a high yield on moist soils due to the good foliage of the stems. Well withstands flooding, so one of the best perennial grasses for grassing floodplains and drained marshes.
Winter hardiness is high, drought resistance is satisfactory.
Vegetation
In herbage can keep up to 10 years.
The type of development is winter-spring.
Agrotechnology
The tillage is the same as for other perennial grasses.
The seeding rate in grass mixtures is 6-10 kg/ha. Sowing depth 1-2 cm.
Sources
Fundamentals of agricultural production technology. Agriculture and crop production. Ed. V.S. Niklyaev. – M .: “Epic”, 2000. – 555 p.
Siberian wheatgrass
Siberian wheatgrass, also Siberian couch grass, (Elymus sibiricus) is a fodder crop related to perennial cereal grasses.
Economic importance
Siberian couch grass has become widespread during phytomelioration of solonetzic soils in the steppe arid regions of Siberia, where it is considered a good reliable fodder crop during severe droughts, as well as in early spring and late autumn.
In arid steppe conditions, it gives one cut, in the forest-steppe zone, with sufficient moisture, it also gives another aftertaste. In terms of aftertaste, it surpasses wheatgrass, rootless wheatgrass, and awnless rump. Hay that is harvested at the optimal time, that is, during the period of the end of the tube – the beginning of heading, is of high quality and nutritional value.
100 kg of Siberian wheatgrass hay contains 61.3 feed units and 9.2 kg of digestible protein. 100 kg of green mass – 28.7 feed units and 5.5 kg of digestible protein (VNII fodder).
It can be used as a pasture crop in the early phases of growth and development. However, when heading, it quickly coarsens, and the awns of adult plants can harm animals.
On solonets soils, it is usually grown in a mixture with alfalfa or sweet clover.
It occurs in natural phytocenoses, forming dense thickets.
In agrotechnical terms, the layer from under the Siberian wheatgrass is not inferior to the layer from under the rootless wheatgrass.
Yield
In terms of yield, it belongs to highly productive grasses. The highest yield is obtained in 2-3 years of life. Hay yield reaches 2.5-4 t/ha and more.
In a mixture with alfalfa and clover, the hay yield is 3-4 t/ha.
In terms of seed yield, one of the highest among cereal grasses. So, in SibNIISKhoz seed yield was 800-1200 kg/ra.
Botanical description
Siberian wheatgrass (Elymus sibiricus L.) is a perennial grass, loose bushy riding types.
The root system is fibrous, powerful. In the first year of life, they penetrate the soil to a depth of up to 80 cm, in the second – up to 1.5 m. It branches strongly in the arable horizon.
Stems at the base are articulated, hollow, smooth, cylindrical, 70-120 cm high, well and evenly leafy. The bush is erect, closes to the base, the stems diverge from the middle, the ears are drooping. Leafiness in the first cut is 41%, in the second – 52.7%.
The leaves are thin, hard, rough on both sides, light, gray or gray-green, 25-50 cm long.
Inflorescence – spinous arcuate narrow loose spike, 12-24 cm long, droops when ripe. The awn of the upper lemma is up to 1.5-2.5 cm long. When ripe, the ear and awns become very coarse, reducing the quality of hay.
The fruit is a large caryopsis covered with coarse hairs. The mass of 1000 seeds is 2.5-3.0 g. When threshed, the seeds are held inside the lemmas.
Biological features
Refers to xerophytes.
Frost resistance, winter hardiness, drought resistance and salt tolerance are high.
Siberian wheatgrass seeds begin to germinate at a temperature of 4-6 °C.
It grows well on loamy, sandy and sandy soils, floodplain and sloping lands, upland.
Vegetation
Siberian wheatgrass is able to maintain high productivity for 5-7 years, with good care – up to 10 years.
In the spring it grows early and quickly, after mowing it is good. Mixed with perennial leguminous grasses, it gives a good formation.
The type of development is spring-winter.
Sowing
Usually they are sown under the cover of spring grain crops or uncovered. Seeds are awned, therefore, without preliminary machine treatment, their sowing is impossible. For pre-sowing preparation of seeds, they are passed through a clover grater or, in extreme cases, a silage cutter.
The seeding rate in its pure form, by a coverless broadcasting method, is 25 kg/ha, by an ordinary seeding method – 20 kg/ha, in grass mixtures in which it is the only loose bush grass – 8-12 kg/ha, in grass mixtures with other loose bush grasses – 5-7 kg/ha.
Sowing depth 1-3 cm.
Harvest
Harvesting for hay is started in the heading phase.
Seed plants are harvested separately or by direct combining. Separate harvesting begins in the phase of wax ripeness, direct combining – in the phase of full maturation of seeds.
Sources
Crop production / P.P. Vavilov, V.V. Gritsenko, V.S. Kuznetsov and others; Ed. P.P. Vavilov. – 5th ed., revised. and additional – M.: Agropromizdat, 1986. – 512 p.: ill. – (Textbook and textbooks for higher educational institutions).
V.V. Kolomeichenko. Crop production / Textbook. — M.: Agrobusinesscenter, 2007. — 600 p. ISBN 978-5-902792-11-6.
Fundamentals of agricultural production technology. Agriculture and crop production. Ed. V.S. Niklyaev. – M .: “Epic”, 2000. – 555 p.
Rootless wheatgrass
Rootless wheatgrass, also slender wheatgrass, (Elymus trachycaulus) is a fodder crop related to perennial cereal grasses.
Economic importance
In terms of growth rates, the rootless wheatgrass is inferior to the awnless brome, but ahead of the timothy meadow. Differs in weak foliage and aftertaste.
It reaches hay ripeness in the earing phase in mid-June. The hay is coarse, but of sufficient quality. Hay harvested in the tillering phase contains 10.6% protein, in the flowering phase – 9.6%. According to the content of digestible nutrients, it is similar to awnless rump hay. In terms of palatability, it is inferior to almost all cereal grasses.
Pasture maturity with a herbage height of 15-20 cm occurs in the tillering phase at the end of May. After etching, regrowth is satisfactory. On the pasture it is well eaten by livestock only until earing, then it quickly begins to coarsen.
In semi-arid conditions, it is mainly used in grass mixtures with alfalfa and sainfoin.
It is mainly used for mowing, less often for grazing animals.
100 kg of hay corresponds to 54 feed units and contains 4.5 kg of digestible protein.
The main disadvantage of using couch grass rootless is the great similarity in appearance of seeds and plants with creeping wheatgrass. Therefore, its use as part of grass mixtures on field lands can lead to clogging of fields with couch grass.
Cultivation areas
It is grown in the forest-steppe and steppe zones, with the exception of dry steppes, in the Far East, in Western and Eastern Siberia, in the north of the Rostov region.
Yield
Hay yield 3-5 t/ha, seeds – 200-600 kg/ha.
The yield of seeds obtained at the Karabalyk Agricultural Experimental Station from an area of 87 hectares was 570 kg/ha.
Botanical description
Rootless wheatgrass, or New England wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus Gould et Shinners) is a perennial (mid-summer) late-ripening cereal plant, a top loose-bush type.
The root system is fibrous, well developed, penetrates the soil to a depth of more than 1 m.
Stems are straight, thin, 50-100 cm high. Well leafy. The bush is dense, with numerous stems.
The leaves are narrow, long, light or dark green in color, coarsen and become stiff as they grow.
Inflorescence is a loose spike, 10-20 cm long. Spikelets have 2-3 flowers, pressed to the stem. Cross pollination.
Seeds are oblong-linear, straw-yellow, weight of 1000 pieces – 2.8-3 g.
Biological features
Winter hardiness and drought resistance are high, somewhat inferior to awnless brome and wheatgrass. It is severely damaged by ground ice crust, which leads to thinning of herbage and loss.
It is undemanding to soils, can grow on any soils, with the exception of wet marshy ones. Chernozem, chestnut and gray forest are optimally suited.
Vegetation
In field and fodder crop rotations, it is usually sown in a mixture with sandy sainfoin. Under cover reaches full development in the second year of life.
With coverless sowing, it is able to bloom and bear fruit in the year of sowing. Gives the greatest productivity in the first two years of use. From the third year it begins to thin out, in 4-5 years almost completely falls out of the herbage.
The type of development is winter-spring.
Sowing
In mixtures with alfalfa and sainfoin, it is sown under the cover of winter and spring crops. Sowing under the cover of winter couch grass rootless can be carried out in autumn or early spring, alfalfa and sainfoin – only in the spring. Under the cover of spring crops, the sowing of grass mixtures is carried out simultaneously with the sowing of the cover crop with grain-grass seeders.
The seeding rate for a continuous row method of sowing is 13-16 kg/ha, for a wide-row method it is 7-8 kg/ha. Sowing depth 2-4 cm.
Crop care
Important care practices include harrowing and fertilizing the herbage in spring and after mowing.
Harvest
Harvesting for hay is started in the heading phase
Harvesting for seeds is carried out in the phase of full ripeness by direct combining.
Sources
Crop production / P.P. Vavilov, V.V. Gritsenko, V.S. Kuznetsov and others; Ed. P.P. Vavilov. – 5th ed., revised. and additional – M.: Agropromizdat, 1986. – 512 p.: ill. – (Textbook and textbooks for higher educational institutions).
V.V. Kolomeichenko. Crop production / Textbook. — M.: Agrobusinesscenter, 2007. — 600 p. ISBN 978-5-902792-11-6.
Fundamentals of agricultural production technology. Agriculture and crop production. Ed. V.S. Niklyaev. – M .: “Epic”, 2000. – 555 p.
Annual ryegrass
Annual ryegrass, also multi-cut ryegrass, (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) is a fodder crop related to perennial cereal grasses.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org©Stefan.lefnaer (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Economic importance
Multicutting ryegrass differs from other perennial grasses in its high regrowth rate; under irrigation conditions, it can give 6-7 cuttings or 2-3 seed collections during the growing season in the second year of life.
In grass mixtures it lasts 3-4 years.
It is one of the main components for alfalfa-cereal mixtures of field and special crop rotations used in the south of Russia.
Well suited for grass mixtures with alfalfa in special cotton rotations .
Cultivation areas
It is cultivated in the south of Russia, as well as in the west of Ukraine, Central Asia, Azerbaijan, and the south of Kazakhstan.
Yield
The yield of hay in the second year of life with irrigation reaches 20 t/ha, seeds – up to 1400-1500 kg/ha.
Botanical description
Multi-flowered chaff (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) is a perennial cereal plant of a high-growing, loose-bush type.
The root system is fibrous.
Stems erect, 50-120 cm high, well leafy.
Inflorescence – ear.
The fruit is greyish. Weight of 1000 seeds 2.1 g.
Biological features
Winter hardiness and drought resistance are low.
Vegetation
With coverless sowing, it can produce seeds in the first year of life.
The type of development is spring.
Sowing
The seeding rate for continuous row sowing is 11-13 kg/ha, for wide-row sowing – 7-8 kg/ha. According to other recommendations, in clean crops, the seeding rate is 16-18 kg/ha, in a mixture with alfalfa or other perennial legume injuries – 8-10 kg/ha.
Seeding depth 2 cm.
Harvest
Harvesting for hay begins in the phase of full heading.
Harvesting for seeds is carried out in a separate way in the phase of the beginning of wax ripeness.
Sources
Crop production / P.P. Vavilov, V.V. Gritsenko, V.S. Kuznetsov and others; Ed. P.P. Vavilov. – 5th ed., revised. and additional – M.: Agropromizdat, 1986. – 512 p.: ill. – (Textbook and textbooks for higher educational institutions).
Fundamentals of agricultural production technology. Agriculture and crop production. Ed. V.S. Niklyaev. – M .: “Epic”, 2000. – 555 p.
Bulbous oat grass
Bulbous oat grass, also High ryegrass, (Arrhenatherum elatius) is a fodder crop related to perennial cereal grasses.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org©Rasbak (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Economic importance
High ryegrass hay has good fodder qualities, has a somewhat bitter taste, but has not received wide distribution in agricultural production. Animals in its pure form are eaten satisfactorily, mixed with other herbs – well.
High ryegrass is characterized by rapid growth, precocity, high productivity, blooms early, hay becomes coarse when harvested late. It grows well after mowing, under favorable conditions it can give 2-3 mowings per hay. It is not usually used for livestock grazing.
It is a plant of a temperate climate, in the forest-steppe zone it surpasses meadow timothy grass and meadow fescue in productivity.
It can be cultivated in field and fodder crop rotations as part of hay and hay-pasture grass mixtures. In mixtures with legumes, the best components are alfalfa, sandy sainfoin and vicoleaf.
When used early, it gives a fodder mass containing 11-12% protein, compared to other grasses, the content of carotene is 2 times less.
100 kg of hay contains 59 feed units and 3.5 kg of digestible protein.
It is considered a good component of grass mixtures for tinning beams and hollows. A grass mixture including alfalfa, sainfoin, awnless brome and high ryegrass is used to improve sloping lands.
Crop history
High ryegrass began to be cultivated in Russia at the end of the 19th century.
Cultivation areas
It is cultivated in the regions of the forest-steppe zone and in the North Caucasus.
Yield
Gives high yields in the second year of life, hay 6-8 t/ha, seeds 200-800 kg/ha.
Botanical description
High ryegrass (Arrenatherum elatius J. et C. Presl) is a perennial (juvenile) cereal plant of a top loose bush type.
The root system is fibrous, well developed, penetrates the soil to a depth of 280 cm.
Stems articulated-rising, hollow, erect, smooth, 80-170 cm high.
The leaves are narrow, up to 7 mm wide, up to 30 cm long.
Inflorescence -loose, spreading, branched panicle, 16-22 cm long. Two-flowered spikelets 7-8 mm long.
The fruit is light green. Weight of 1000 seeds 2.7-3.4 g.
Biological features
In cold winters with little snow cover, high ryegrass freezes, leading to thinning of crops or complete loss from herbage. It does not tolerate spring frosts, especially late ones.
Drought resistance is low. Does not tolerate high temperatures well.
Moderately demanding on moisture, prefers soils with medium moisture.
Does not tolerate close groundwater and flooding. Prefers chernozems, loose soils with a high content of organic matter. It grows well on loamy, sandy, podzolic and other soils with a permeable subsoil. Waterlogged, compacted soils are unsuitable.
Vegetation
With coverless crops, it can produce hay in the first year of life. It remains in the herbage for 4-5 years.
Under cover, plants reach full development in the second year of life. After germination, it grows faster than other cereal grasses, with sufficient moisture it can be cut even with undercover sowing, and without a cover it can bloom by the end of summer.
In grass mixtures for 3-5 years of life begins to fall out.
The type of development is spring.
Sowing
It is sown in early spring in a mixture with other herbs under cover or without cover. In a mixture with perennial leguminous grasses, it is usually sown under the cover of spring crops with grain-grass seeders between the rows of the cover crop.
The seeding rate in pure sowing, for example, for seed purposes, in a row method is 15-16 kg/ha, in a wide-row method 8-9 kg/ha, in grass mixtures 8-12 kg/ha. Sowing depth 2-3 cm.
Harvest
Harvesting for hay is started at the beginning of the panicle.
Harvesting for seeds is started in the phase of wax ripeness in a separate way.
Sources
Crop production / P.P. Vavilov, V.V. Gritsenko, V.S. Kuznetsov and others; Ed. P.P. Vavilov. – 5th ed., revised. and additional – M.: Agropromizdat, 1986. – 512 p.: ill. – (Textbook and textbooks for higher educational institutions).
V.V. Kolomeichenko. Crop production / Textbook. — M.: Agrobusinesscenter, 2007. — 600 p. ISBN 978-5-902792-11-6.
Fundamentals of agricultural production technology. Agriculture and crop production. Ed. V.S. Niklyaev. – M .: “Epic”, 2000. – 555 p.
Awnless rump
Awnless rump or Awnless brome (Bromus inermis) is a fodder crop related to perennial cereal grasses.
Source: flickr.com© Matt Lavin (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Economic importance
Awnless brome is used in meadow and field grass planting in the forest-steppe and steppe zones of Russia. In field crop rotations, it can be grown in hatch fields.
It is used to obtain hay, green fodder and artificial pastures.
100 kg of hay corresponds to 57.2 feed units and contains 5.9 kg of digestible protein. 100 kg of fresh grass – 29.3 feed units and 3.0 kg of digestible protein, respectively.
Suitable for grassing eroded sloping lands.
Previously not recommended for field rotations, as it was assumed that the rhizomes would grow back after plowing the formation. Experiments have shown that after deep plowing there is no significant threat to subsequent crops. Thus, awnless brome is suitable for growing in fodder and field crop rotations, as well as for radical improvement of beams mixed with legumes.
Grows well after mowing and grazing. The highest yield with the preservation of productivity with age is shown with single-cut use, when mowing is carried out in the flowering phase.
It is considered a valuable crop for improving floodplain meadows and pastures.
Crop history
It was introduced into culture in the middle of the 19th century. in the Voronezh province.
Cultivation areas
Due to its high ecological plasticity, it can grow in various conditions, up to the Arctic Circle.
Cultivated in the northern, northwestern, central regions of the European part of Russia, Western and Eastern Siberia, Altai Territory.
Yield
Under favorable cultivation conditions, the yield of hay is 6-8 t/ha of hay and 700-900 kg/ha of seeds.
In water meadows, the yield of hay reaches 5-8 t/ha.
Under irrigation conditions in the Kaluga region, a mixture of awnless brome and meadow timothy gave a yield of 11.8 t/ha of hay.
Botanical description
Rye includes over 20 species. In agricultural production, awnless brome (Bromopsis inermis Holub) is a perennial grass of a riding type.
The root system is fibrous (rhizome), powerful. It has the ability to take root in the nodes, which leads to the formation of new bushes. The length of the rhizomes is 5-20 cm, occurring at a depth of 8-15 cm, which determines the high winter hardiness. The roots penetrate to a depth of 1-2 m. It leaves a large amount of root residues in the soil.
The stems are straight, smooth, hard, well leafy, 70-200 cm high.
The leaves are broadly linear, long, flat, relatively coarse, rough along the edge.
Inflorescence – panicle. The flowers are large, collected in spikelets, forming a large panicle. Before flowering, the panicle may be inclined (one-maned), after flowering – upright, sprawling. At the ends of the branches of the panicle are many-flowered spikelets.
Fruiting is usually abundant, the seeds are large, dark gray, oblong. The caryopsis is densely covered with flower scales. Weight of 1000 pieces – 3-4 g.
The awnless rump has two forms:
- northern, or meadow, common in the forest zone;
- southern, or steppe, common in the steppe zone.
Both forms are found in the forest-steppe zone.
Biological features
The awnless rump is characterized by high ecological plasticity and adaptability to various external conditions.
Winter hardiness, cold hardiness and drought resistance are good. Able to endure harsh snowless winters, spring frosts.
Awnless rump can withstand flooding for up to 30-45 days.
It grows poorly on acidic, highly compacted, heavy clay and waterlogged soils. Can grow on solonets soils. Suitable for cultivation are permeable soils of water meadows, loamy, humus-rich soils. It works well on slopes and fixed sands, on floodplain and estuary meadows with a shallow groundwater table, also during irrigation. Undemanding to soils.
Loose, permeable sandy or loamy chernozems, as well as alluvial soils, are optimally suited, due to favorable conditions for the development of rhizomes. The subsoil should also preferably be loose.
Vegetation
In the first year of life, when sown under cover, it grows slowly, with uncovered sowing and sufficient moisture, it can produce hay mowing by autumn.
In subsequent years of life in the spring, growth starts early, allowing you to get early green fodder. The full development of plants occurs at 2-3 years of life, during the same period it is removed for seeds.
The greatest hay yields are obtained for 3-6 years of life. In the herbage it lasts up to 8-12 years, with the use of fertilizers on floodplain lands – more than 20 years.
The type of development is winter-spring.
Sowing
Awnless rump, as a rule, is sown in early spring under cover or without cover. Summer sowing is also possible in the second half of July.
Mixtures of awnless brome with perennial legumes (alfalfa and sainfoin are especially suitable) are sown in early spring under the cover of spring crops in an inter-row way.
The seeding rate of seeds of awnless brome with ordinary net sowing is 16-20 kg/ha, with wide-row – 10-11 kg/ha. When grown for fodder purposes in grass mixtures, the seeding rate is 8-12 kg/ha, in mixtures with other rhizomatous cereals – 5-6 kg/ha.
Sowing depth 3-4 cm.
Seeds are characterized by poor flowability, therefore, before sowing, they are passed through a vegetable grater with rubber rubbing surfaces. After such processing, they are suitable for sowing by any seeders.
When grown for seed purposes, the recommended sowing rate for continuous sowing is 20-25 kg/ha, wide-row – 8-10 kg/ha.
Harvest
Good hay (especially for horses) is obtained by cutting before flowering, when panicles appear. When mowing after flowering, the hay becomes rough.
Awnless rump is harvested for seeds by direct combining in the phase of full seed ripeness or by a two-phase method. In the latter case, mowing is carried out in the phase of wax ripeness of the seeds. After harvesting, the seeds are cleaned of impurities, dried and stored for long-term storage.
Sources
Crop production / P.P. Vavilov, V.V. Gritsenko, V.S. Kuznetsov and others; Ed. P.P. Vavilov. – 5th ed., revised. and additional – M.: Agropromizdat, 1986. – 512 p.: ill. – (Textbook and textbooks for higher educational institutions).
V.V. Kolomeichenko. Crop production / Textbook. — M.: Agrobusinesscenter, 2007. — 600 p. ISBN 978-5-902792-11-6.
Fundamentals of agricultural production technology. Agriculture and crop production. Ed. V.S. Niklyaev. – M .: “Epic”, 2000. – 555 p.
Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass (Agropyron) is a fodder crop related to perennial cereal grasses.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org©Stefan.lefnaer (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Economic importance
Wheatgrass is a valuable fodder crop. When it is harvested at the beginning of heading, it produces well-leafed hay of high quality, with a protein content of 6.5-8.0%, which is superior in nutritional value to Bromus inermis. With good soil moisture, it can produce two cuts. If harvesting is late, the hay becomes coarse, poorly eaten by animals, and the second cut is lost. Resistant to trampling, remains suitable for grazing for many years. In one place it can grow 15-20 years.
When grazing wheatgrass before heading, it is eaten by animals well, by the flowering phase – badly.
100 kg of fresh wheatgrass harvested in the heading phase contains 22.7 feed units and 4.1 kg of digestible protein. 100 kg of hay – 48.7 feed units and 6.9 kg of digestible protein.
In the conditions of arid regions of the steppe zone, the alfalfa-wheatgrass mixture serves as a good predecessor in crop rotation for durum spring wheat, millet and other crops.
Crop history
First introduced into culture in 1896 by Bogdan V.S. at the Valuyskaya experimental station in Zaporozhye.
Cultivation areas
It is grown in the steppe, forest-steppe and semi-desert regions of Russia, primarily in the Trans-Volga region, Western Siberia, the arid regions of the North Caucasus, and also in the north of Kazakhstan.
Yield
The highest yield occurs at 4-5 years of age.
Botanical description
Wheatgrass (Agropyron) is a perennial, early-ripening plant, of loose bushy, semi-top types.
The root system is fibrous, powerful, penetrates to a depth of 2-2.5 m. The main mass of the roots is concentrated in the soil layer of 0-40 cm.
The stem is hollow, cylindrical, well leafy, slightly rough under the ear. Height 50-90 cm. Zhitnyak is distinguished by a large number of shoots per plant. With uncovered sowing, plants of the first year of life have up to 40 shoots (Krasnokutsk Experimental Breeding Station of the Research Institute of Agriculture of the South-East).
The leaves are narrowly linear, smooth below, hairy or rough above. In the narrow-eared species, the leaves are green, in the broad-eared species, the leaves are dark green.
The inflorescence is a linear or ovoid spike with pronounced gaps between the hairless spikelets, on which it has 3-10 green or bluish-green flowers. Cross pollination. The fruit is filmy, has an awned sharpening. Weight of 1000 seeds 0.8-2.1 g.
Species
According to the structure of the ear, wheatgrass differs in narrow-eared and broad-eared. The broad-eared wheatgrass has a wider, dense, spinous spike 5 cm long, during the flowering period, the color is gray or bluish. Narrow-eared – narrow, loose, short-awned, up to 7-7.5 cm long, green during flowering.
Of the narrow-eared wheatgrass, Siberian and desert are common.
Siberian wheatgrass, or brittle (Agropyron fragile P. Candargy), grows naturally in the sandy steppes of Western Siberia, on the Lower Volga, in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Also found in the south of Ukraine and the Caucasus. It is used in agriculture in the southeastern regions of Russia.
Desert wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum Schult.) is found in the steppes of the Caspian lowland and desert steppe. Most drought tolerant.
Among the broad-eared wheatgrasses, comb-shaped and comb-shaped are common in culture.
The comb-shaped wheatgrass (Agropyron pectinatum Beauv.) is distributed in the steppes, dry meadows and estuaries of the southern forest-steppe of the European part of Russia, Western Siberia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. It has become widespread in the agriculture of the steppe and dry steppe regions. The most common species in field grass sowing, also has the largest range in natural phytocenoses.
Wheatgrass comb (Agropyron cristatum Beauv.) grows in Eastern Siberia, Central Asia, Altai. The most winter-hardy, drought resistance is high.
Forms and ecotypes
Wheatgrass has a large number of forms and ecotypes, which depend on the growing conditions.
There are ecotypes:
- steppe, with rising stems, wide leaves, grows mainly on chestnut soils;
- solonchak, with thin stems and narrow leaves, found mainly on solonetzes;
- sandy, with thick stems and leaves, found mainly on sands;
- estuary, has a bluish coating on the leaves, found on estuaries;
- a floodplain-meadow, high-growing ecotype with few broad leaves, found in floodplains of rivers;
- Altai, characterized by rough thick stems and hard leaves, grows in the foothills of Altai.
Biological features
Frost resistance and winter hardiness are high, in these features it surpasses alfalfa.
Drought resistance is high, able to withstand prolonged drought, grows well after rainfall.
Grows on neutral and slightly saline soils. It does not make high demands on soils due to a powerful deep penetrating root system, which by weight significantly exceeds the mass of the aerial part.
Tolerates cover crop shading provided there is adequate moisture when planted early in the spring.
A typical xerophyte, however, young shoots can die from sultry sunlight.
Plant nutrition
For the formation of 1 ton of dry matter, 22 kg of N, 5.4 kg of P2O5 and 21 kg of K2O are removed from the soil.
Vegetation
In grass mixtures in the first two years it develops slowly, especially with insufficient moisture, forming only 1-2 stems by autumn, in sowing it takes only 10-15%. Bushiness in the first year of life is 20-30 stems per plant.
In the second year of life, it also forms few shoots, weakly displaces weeds , and produces a small hay crop. It reaches full development in the third year of life, while the bushiness in sparse crops reaches 600-800 stems per plant and a dense sod is formed, almost completely suppressing annual weeds. Due to the powerful tillering, it has a high competitiveness. At the age of 3-5, it begins to displace other species, occupying the main position in the herbage.
In the third year of life, wheatgrass gives the highest yields of hay and seeds. From the age of 5-6, productivity gradually begins to decline, but it can remain in the herbage for decades.
The type of development is spring-winter.
Crop rotation
Wheatgrass mixed with leguminous grasses is usually sown under the cover of spring wheat or barley, sometimes under millet. The cover crop is determined according to local conditions. However, wheatgrass or its mixture with legumes should be oversowed under the cover crop that produces the highest hay yield.
In the southern regions, wheatgrass is recommended to be sown under the cover of winter crops, in Siberia – under the cover of spring crops.
In Western Siberia and northern Kazakhstan, 4-5-field crop rotations without perennial grasses are used, in which wheatgrass is sown in a hatching field or on pastures.
To reduce the inhibitory effect of the cover crop, a half-cover overseeding method can be used, in which half the rate of cover crop seeds is sown.
Fertilizer
According to the Sinelnikovskaya breeding and experimental station of the All-Russian Research Institute of Maize (Dnepropetrovsk), the introduction of 20 t/ha of manure under the predecessor increases the yield of broad-eared wheatgrass hay by 1.8 t/ha, narrow-eared hay by 0.5 t/ha.
The recommended application rates for mineral fertilizers are N30-60P30-60K30-60. Fertilizers are applied under the main plowing. Row application is also recommended when sowing together with seeds 50 kg/ha of granulated superphosphate.
In the early spring of the second and subsequent years of the life of the wheatgrass, as well as after each mowing, it is recommended to carry out top dressing with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers P30-40K30-45.
Tillage
In general, tillage is similar to that for alfalfa. After harvesting the previous crop, the stubble is peeled, after 2-3 weeks – plowing with a plow with a skimmer to a depth of 20-25 cm, sometimes 30 cm.
In early spring, harrowing is carried out, then cultivation with harrowing and sowing with a cover crop at the same time as grasses. In each case, the tillage system is adjusted. The success of wheatgrass cultivation is largely determined by the quality of field cultivation. The soil must be clean from weeds, have an adequate supply of moisture and nutrients.
Sowing
The sowing rate of wheatgrass seeds at 100% economic suitability in pure row sowing is 10-12 kg/ha, in grass mixtures – 6-10 kg/ha. With wide-row sowing – 5-7 kg/ha.
In arid conditions of the steppe, the recommended seeding rate is 6-8 kg/ha, in the Chernozem zone – 8-10 kg/ha.
Seeding depth 2-4 cm.
Harvest
Harvest for hay
The optimal time for harvesting wheatgrass is the beginning of heading, a mixture of wheatgrass and alfalfa is the beginning of alfalfa flowering. In the areas of the steppe zone, the cut grass is raked into rolls, and after 1-2 days the hay can be stacked. On very hot days, wheatgrass cut in the morning can be mowed up in the evening.
Seed harvesting
Wheatgrass seeds crumble easily when ripe, so it is usually harvested in the middle of the waxy ripeness phase, which lasts 10-12 days, in a separate way.
At the end of wax ripeness, harvesting for seeds is carried out by direct combining. Harvesting seeds too early results in a 15-20% loss of germination than when harvesting at the end of the wax ripeness phase or in the full ripeness phase. Also, early harvesting leads to a significant proportion in the seed material of the so-called double and triple, that is, parts of the spikelet of wheatgrass. If there are a large number of undestroyed spikelets with seeds in the heap, it is passed through a clover grater, then again through grain cleaning machines.
Cleaned and sorted seeds are usually quite dry and do not require additional drying.
Sources
Crop production / P.P. Vavilov, V.V. Gritsenko, V.S. Kuznetsov and others; Ed. P.P. Vavilov. – 5th ed., revised. and additional – M.: Agropromizdat, 1986. – 512 p.: ill. – (Textbook and textbooks for higher educational institutions).
Fundamentals of agricultural production technology. Agriculture and crop production. Ed. V.S. Niklyaev. – M .: “Epic”, 2000. – 555 p.
Orchard grass
Orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata) is a fodder crop related to perennial cereal grasses.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org©Javier martin (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Economic importance
Thanks to its rapid development, it can already produce a high yield of excellent quality fodder in the spring. In spring, it develops 3 times faster than meadow timothy, surpasses other cereal grasses in terms of spring regrowth and after mowing.
Well suited for grassing pastures and eroded lands.
In a mixture with alfalfa, it is included in cotton irrigated crop rotations.
Cultivation areas
Orchard grass team has become widespread in the Non-Chernozem zone, especially in the central and western regions, in the irrigated regions of Central Asia, in the North Caucasus and southern Ukraine, where it gives good yields.
Yield
Under favorable conditions, the yield of hay is 4-5 t/ha.
Botanical description
Orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata L.) is a perennial grasses of a loose shrub type.
The root system is fibrous, penetrates the soil to a depth of 100 cm.
Stems erect, 60-150 cm high, well leafy. When overgrown, the stems become rough.
The leaves are wide and long.
The inflorescence is a compressed panicle.
The fruits are membranous, trihedral, gray in color. Weight of 1000 seeds 1.2 g.
Biological features
Orchard grass team refers to moisture-loving plants. Poorly tolerates flooding in the spring.
Winter hardiness is high. In terms of drought resistance and shade tolerance, it surpasses timothy grass and fescue, and is inferior to them in winter hardiness.
Demanding on soils. It grows well on drained and developed lowland bogs, loamy and clayey soils.
Plant nutrition
For the formation of 1 and orchard grass hay, the team consumes from the soil 23-25 kg N, 4-5 kg P2O5, 36-38 kg K2O. It responds well to the application of nitrogen fertilizers, the introduction of increased rates of which allows you to get up to 50 t/ha of green mass (Estonian Research Institute of Agriculture and Land Reclamation).
The introduction of liquid manure fraction as top dressing in the conditions of the central regions of the Non-Chernozem zone is most effective in the spring and after the first mowing.
Vegetation
In the first year of the orchard grass life, the team forms vegetative shoots with long leaves. Plants reach full development in the third year of life. Type of development – winter.
Flowering in June, seed ripening ends in early July.
Agrotechnology
Usually sown in grass mixtures with perennial leguminous grasses under the cover of winter and spring cereal crops or annual grasses. Soil cultivation and crop care are the same as for the legume component.
The seeding rate when sowing in pure form is 14-20 kg/ha, with a wide-row method to obtain seeds – 8-9 kg/ha. In grass mixtures of field crop rotations, the norm is 7-8 kg/ha, in grass mixtures in the Non-Chernozem and Forest-Steppe zones – 11-12 kg/ha, in grass mixtures in the North Caucasus – 8-10 kg/ha.
Harvesting of the testes of the orchard grass of the team is carried out by combining in the phase of full ripeness of the seeds.
Sources
Crop production / P.P. Vavilov, V.V. Gritsenko, V.S. Kuznetsov and others; Ed. P.P. Vavilov. – 5th ed., revised. and additional – M.: Agropromizdat, 1986. – 512 p.: ill. – (Textbook and textbooks for higher educational institutions).
Fundamentals of agricultural production technology. Agriculture and crop production. Ed. V.S. Niklyaev. – M .: “Epic”, 2000. – 555 p.
Meadow fescue
Meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.) is a fodder crop related to perennial cereal grasses.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org©Stefan.lefnaer (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Economic importance
Meadow fescue allows you to get good quality forage. It is widely used in field and meadow grass sowing. In terms of prevalence in the Non-Chernozem and Forest-Steppe zones of Russia, it ranks second after meadow timothy grass.
It is well eaten by farm animals. Allows you to get 2 cuts for hay or up to 5 grazing cycles for pasture, provided that the soil is sufficiently moist. Grows quickly after mowing and grazing. In one place it can grow 6-8 years.
In the flowering phase, 100 kg of green mass contains 26.3 feed units and 2.2 kg of digestible protein. 100 kg of hay – 55.0 feed units and 4.0 kg of digestible protein.
It is usually cultivated in field and fodder crop rotations of the Non-Chernozem zone in grass mixtures with red clover and in areas with sufficient moisture in the North Caucasus and the Central Black Earth zone in a mixture with alfalfa and sainfoin.
Crop history
It was introduced into culture in the 19th century.
Cultivation areas
It is cultivated in the forest-steppe regions of the European part of Russia, in the central regions of the Non-Chernozem zone and in Siberia.
Yield
The yield of hay is usually 4.5-5.0 t/ha, seeds – 200-700 kg/ha. The highest yield is obtained at 3 years of age.
With the right agricultural technology, the seed yield of meadow fescue is 500-700 kg/ha (Krasnaya Baltika state farm, Leningrad region).
Botanical description
The genus includes 20 species. Meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.) is widespread in agricultural production. Also, for the creation of lawns, varieties of the red fescue species (Festuca rubra) are included in the State Register.
The root system is powerful, fibrous. By the panicling phase, the roots penetrate the soil to a depth of 80 cm, by the end of the second year of life – up to 160 cm.
Stems erect, smooth, well leafy, short vegetative shoots predominate. Plant height from 75 to 140 cm.
The leaves are long, shiny on the underside, rough along the edges.
Inflorescence – panicle. The flowers are small, planted on spikes.
The fruits are relatively large, membranous, light gray, oblong in shape. Weight of 1000 seeds 1.6-2.0 g.
Biological features
It is distinguished by high winter hardiness, somewhat inferior to rump . More drought tolerant than Timothy grass. It is moderately demanding on moisture, withstands drought and elevated temperatures, but gives high yields with sufficient moisture.
Demanding on soils, grows well on humus-rich loose, loamy, clay and peaty soils. Sandy soils poor in nitrogen are of little use.
Tolerates flooding for up to 25 days.
Plant nutrition
For the formation of 1 ton of hay, meadow fescue removes from the soil 14-15 kg N, 8-10 kg P2O5, 24-27 kg K2O.
Vegetation
In the first year of life, meadow fescue forms only vegetative shoots. At the beginning of life, intensive tillering is characterized, which decreases with age. In the first year, it can give one cut and a good aftermath. With coverless sowing, full development occurs in the second year of life, with cover and mixed with other types of herbs – in the third year of life. Flowering occurs in early June, the seeds ripen in the first half of July.
Type of development – winter.
Agrotechnology
Meadow fescue is usually sown in a mixture with red clover, alfalfa, or sainfoin. Agrotechnology is the same as for the listed herbs.
In a mixture with legumes, the seeding rate is 8-12 kg/ha. Sowing time – in the spring under the cover of annual grasses or grain crops. Under the cover of winter cereals, a mixture of fescue with clover or alfalfa is sown in early spring across the cover crop rows using grain-grass seeders.
Sowing depth 2-3 cm.
When sowing in its pure form, for example, in order to obtain seeds, fescue is sown in wide-row or ordinary row methods. With the wide-row method, the seeding rate is 7-9 kg/ha, with the usual row method – 15-16 kg/ha.
Crop care is the same as for meadow timothy grass. Harvesting for hay is started at the beginning of the heading phase.
When ripe, the seeds of meadow fescue crumble easily, so harvesting for seeds begins in the phase of wax ripeness. Harvesting is carried out by direct combining. The seed heap from under the combine is passed through grain cleaning machines, dried to a moisture content of 14-15% and stored for long-term storage.
Sources
Crop production / P.P. Vavilov, V.V. Gritsenko, V.S. Kuznetsov and others; Ed. P.P. Vavilov. – 5th ed., revised. and additional – M.: Agropromizdat, 1986. – 512 p.: ill. – (Textbook and textbooks for higher educational institutions).
V.V. Kolomeichenko. Crop production / Textbook. — M.: Agrobusinesscenter, 2007. — 600 p. ISBN 978-5-902792-11-6.
Fundamentals of agricultural production technology. Agriculture and crop production. Ed. V.S. Niklyaev. – M .: “Epic”, 2000. – 555 p.