Data on Forage Plants in Azerbaijan

Бюллетень науки и практики / Bulletin of Science and Practice

UDC 582.28                                      

According to calculations by the UN FAO, 783 million people are currently suffering from hunger, and this number is not likely to decrease, but to increase. Thus, according to various forecasts, the population of the Earth is expected to be 9.3 billion in 2050, that is, the population is expected to increase by 1.33 times. In return for this increase, it will be necessary to increase the current production of agricultural products by approximately 1.5 times in order to meet the demand for food products of the people living on Earth. This forecast is calculated based on the products cultivated in the area of Earth used by people today for the production of food products. If we add to this the lands that lose their suitability for cultivation every year due to salinization, desertification, etc. as a result of global warming, urbanization, etc., then it will be necessary to increase the productivity per hectare even more [1].

İt should be noted that plants differ from other living things due to a number of qualities, and this difference is the basis of scientific and practical interest in them. It would be logical to clarify this point by touching on some of these differences. First, only a few phytohormones are required for the transformation of undifferentiated, i.e., somatic cells of plants into adults, and it is possible to regenerate the whole organism from vegetative (leaf and root) organ cells. A similar feature is not found in animals. Secondly, as mentioned, plants are practically the main and only source of organic matter on Earth, primarily oxygen. The reason for this is the presence of chloroplasts in plants with the ability to collect solar energy, synthesis of 20 essential amino acids necessary for the formation of proteins, including 9 that are not produced by humans (valine, tryptophan and phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, methionine and threonine). together with microorganisms, living things in atmospheric air, as well as plants themselves, have properties such as fixing nitrogen that they cannot use [2-8].

Is that although plants do not have the main organ system found in animals, that is, the nervous system, their physiological characteristics respond to what is happening in the environment. In addition to the immune system, plants have an induction mechanism that provides resistance against diseases caused by pathogens and toxins they synthesize. Primitive and higher plants form the first link of the food chain in terrestrial and aquatic systems. For this reason, plants occupy a central place in agriculture, together with microorganisms and domestic animals, they are used for human food, for various purposes, such as clothing, building materials, etc. can play the role of a source of raw materials in its preparation. In addition, the application of basic information about plants, such as the study of the nutrient requirements of plants, allows the management of soil fertility, making sure that the possibilities of plants in solving the problems of the modern era still exist, and therefore their research in various aspects is still relevant today. allows recording. Although ecological science has progressed considerably in terms of understanding the processes that regulate the dynamics and trophic structure of ecosystems, systematic differences between ecosystems still remain, causing controversy to remain. Eliminating them can only be done through a comprehensive study of the plants in the ecosystem. By the way, in the Republic of Azerbaijan, there are still no studies aimed at the study of biodiversity at the ecosystem level [9].

As a result of plant research, a number of issues that play an important role in the development of modern biology and are based on it today, for example, Mendel's laws that laid the foundation of genetics (experiments on peas), phytochrome phenomenon, transposition of genetic elements (corn), enzymes protein nature, etc. it has been clarified, that is, plants are also used as model organisms, then it allows us to state once again with certainty that plants are interesting and relevant objects of research in any aspect and that it is necessary to conduct research in these directions. In addition, the study of plants is also related to another point, which is related to the occurrence of the invasion event. Thus, as a result of a number of studies, it is clear that thousands of local species have disappeared due to invasive species [10].

So, according to various forecasts, the population of Earth is expected to be 9.3 billion in 2050, that is, the population is expected to increase by 1.33 times. In exchange for this increase, it will be necessary to increase the production of agricultural products by about 1.5 times in order to meet the demand for food products of the people living on Earth. This forecast is based on the crops grown on Earth's land used by humans for food production today. This includes global warming, urbanization, etc. As a result of these processes, salinization, desertification, etc., if lands that lose their suitability for cultivation are added, then the yield per hectare will need to be increased further [11, 12].

Plants are biologically more valuable as food, as their biochemical composition, more specifically, the proteins contained in them, are rich in both replaceable and non-replaceable amino acids, as well as the ability to synthesize vitamins. In addition, plants are rich in mineral elements, vitamins, and other biologically active substances, including pharmacological ones, which are important for humans [13, 14].

In addition to being one of the sources of food for people, plants also indirectly affect people's nutrition by forming the basis of animal feed used by people to obtain food products; therefore, forage plants are also important in the formation of quantitative and qualitative indicators of animal products [15, 16].

Flora of Azerbaijan has the richest flora in the Caucasus, as 66% of the plants found in the Caucasus are found in Azerbaijan [17-22].

The fact that most types of vegetation can be found in a small area makes it possible to note the richness of the flora of Azerbaijan, and for their efficient use, these plants are systematized in another way, as in the world; that is, they also use artificial systematization for plants. Medicinal plants, technical plants, oil plants, dye plants, and fodder plants come from such systems [11].

Forage plants, both cultivated and wild, are a major group of plants necessary for the development of livestock. Although it is impossible to give a specific number about the number of species of fodder plants in Azerbaijan, there is no doubt that their number of species is expressed in hundreds. Thus, the number of seeds of annual cereal grasses in the CIS includes up to 1,000 species [23].

It should be noted that almost all fodder plants belong to grasses according to their life forms, and they are either annual, biennial, or perennial [23]. In general, forage plants are divided into 4 groups, including cereal grasses, leguminous grasses, sedges and miscellaneous grasses [24].

Agrosystis alba L. (Field wheat), Beta vulgaris L. (Sugar beet), Dactylis glomerata L. (Shepherd's broom), Festuca pratensis Huds, Helianthus annuus L. (Sunflower), Hordeum vulgare L. (Barley), Lathyrus sativus L. (Lathyrus), Medicago sativa L. (Clover), Melilotus officinalis Desr. (Grass pea), Sorghum sudanense Pers. (Sudan grass), Triticum aestivum L. (Soft wheat), T. durum Desf. (Durum wheat), Vicia sativa L. (Forage pea or spring vetch), V. villosa Roth (Autumn sedge), Zea mays L. (Maize), etc. Such plants can be attributed [23].

Most of these plants are cultivated in almost all regions of Azerbaijan, but their cultivated areas, productivity, and feed value are different. For example, in 2022, the cultivated area of grains and legumes was 985,687 ha, the cultivated area of fodder crops was 372,745 ha, and the cultivated area of spring and winter wheat was 547,185 ha. In 2022, the yield of wheat from fodder crops was 31.9 s/ha, the yield of grain corn was 58.6 s/ha, and the yield of legumes was 15.8 s/ha. In general, I should mention that crops such as alfalfa, corn, hard and soft wheat, as well as barley are currently planted all over the country, and most of the feed used in the country is supplied by these crops. For this reason, their resources are more significant compared to other plants. For example, in 2022, the yield of sunflower for grain was 23 quintals, and the cultivated area was 11,539 ha, which means 26,539.7 tons of crops per year. For corn and wheat, the amount of the product produced during that year was 178,829.6 t and 1,745,520 t, respectively [24].

It should be noted that a number of fodder plants grow wild and are not yet cultivated. For example, Agrostis alba L. (Field grass), Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. (Fingergrass), Malva neglecta

Wailler (Weed mallow), Phleum pratense L. (Meadow fescue), Trifolium pratense L. (Meadow clover) and etc. Plants like these can be an example [24].

It is also impossible to give a concrete figure about the resources of these plants, at least for the reason that such a statistical indicator is not found in any source. Just their wide spread can be taken as a synonym for having abundant resources. In this regard, among the wild plants, A. alba, Artemisia vulgaris L. (Common wormwood), C. dactylon, M. neglecta, T. pratense , etc. are the most important plants. So, they can be found in almost all areas of the region.

Both cultivated and wild forage plants are not only important as fodder, but also actively participate in a number of processes typical of plants in general. For example, leguminous fodder plants take an active part in making the inert form of nitrogen in the soil usable, that is, in fixing atmospheric nitrogen. In addition, fodder plants improve the physico-chemical properties of cultivated soils, prevent processes such as erosion and salinization, and their use for various purposes (greening, beekeeping, enrichment of pastures, etc.) allows for effective results [24].

Some of the species mentioned above as fodder plants also carry other qualities. For example, corn, sunflower, wormwood, three-leaf clover, etc., are also medicinal plants and are used in folk medicine as diuretics, pain relievers, etc. They are widely used as tools with beneficial properties [24].

At the same time, due to these properties, these plants have become the subject of various aspects (botanical, pharmacological, mycological, etc.) studies, and this situation is still ongoing.