Formation of pasture agrophytocenoses with the participation of festulolium and perennial ryegrass in conditions of the European north of Russia

The study was conducted in a field experiment laid down in 2017 at the experimental field of Northwestern Dairy Farming and Grassland Management Research Institute - detached unit of Federal State Budget Institution of Science “Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences” in accordance with the technique developed at the All-Russian Williams Fodder Research Institute. The scheme of experience included 10 variants in three-fold repetition. The area of the plot was 11 m2. The experiment studied cereal and legume-grass pasture phytocoenoses that were created on the basis of the following species and varieties: festulolium Allegro, ryegrass VIK 66, Leningradskaya 204 timothy, Sverdlovskaya 37 meadow fescue, SIBNIISKhOZ 189 awnless brome, Limagi and Dar meadow grass, Dymkovsky red clover, Lugovik white clover. The goal of the research is to study the impact of species and varieties of perennial grasses on the productivity, nutritional value and botanical composition of pasture agrophytocenoses of the first year of use. Scientific novelty lies in the fact that rare species and new varieties of perennial grasses (festulolium, ryegrass and meadow grass) used for the formation of pasture phytocenoses will be studied for the first time in the European North of the Russian Federation. Practical significance of the research consists in the fact that the production will be offered an effective technology for creation of phytocenoses of pasture use on the basis of grass species. Among the studied pasture phytocenoses in the first year of use, according to productive indicators, a grass mixture was distinguished, which includes two types of cereal grasses - festulolium and ryegrass (var. 6) and grass mixtures with legumes (var. 7-10). Grass swards generated 10.7 t/ha of dry matter, cereal-legume swards - 10.3-11.6 t/ha. Area of application includes agricultural enterprises of the region. Research in this direction will be continued in the development of resource-saving technologies for creation of highly productive agrophytocenoses of forage crops, harvesting high-quality voluminous fodder in the European North of the Russian Federation.