Formation of annual legume-grass mixtures from appreciable varieties in the European North of Russia

The article presents the results of research carried out in 2017-2020 on the cultivating annual crops for forage purposes in mixed crops. The experiment place is the experimental field of the Northwestern Research Institute for Dairy and Grassland Farming in the Vologda Oblast. The following appreciable varieties have been taken for the research and used in the mixtures: Aksayskiy usatyy-55pea variety, Assorti vetch variety, Oligarch lupin variety, Krasnyy Bogatyr fodder bean variety as well as Yakov spring oat variety and Rapid annual ryegrass. The research results have revealed that, on average, over the years of the study, the legume-grass mixtures have provided 21.7-29.5 tons of green mass, 4.34-5.78 tons of dry matter, 3.0-3.9 thousand feed units, 0.37-0.58 tons of crude protein, 40.8-52.8 GJ of exchange energy from 1 ha per season. The highest protein content of 11.2, 11.6 and 11.6% in 1 kg of dry matter after the first mowing has been obtained from the following mixture options: pea + vetch + oats (Option 4), vetch + beans + oats (Option 5) and vetch + lupin + oats (Option 6).