Agrobiological substantiation of growing Hungarian vetch in mixed crops

Abstract

The production of high-protein feed stays an integral part of the development of feed production. The purpose of this study was to investigate the biological characteristics of Hungarian vetch when grown in agrophytocenoses using different types of winter cereals. Changes in the chemical composition of dry matter at different microstages of growth and development were studied, and the influence on the yield, nutrient content, and digestibility of plant material was determined depending on the stages of growth and development. The study was conducted using field, laboratory, laboratory-field, and statistical methods. It was found that to reach the full flowering phase, the sum of active temperatures should be 754°C, with precipitation of about 100 mm and daylight hours of 973 h. Observations of the growing season indicate the relationship between plants and the environment, which is important to consider when growing Hungarian vetch. Vetch plants reach a height of 100-104 cm in conditions of excessive moisture. The phytocoenotic balance of such mixtures, specifically vetch of the Orlan variety and winter triticale of the Bozhych and Bohodarske varieties, ensures sustainable productivity and nutritional value of plant material. The best harvesting time for high quality vetch is from the beginning to the middle of flowering, which ensures a crude protein content of 17-20% in dry matter. The effectiveness of mixed phytocoenoses has been confirmed by ecological tests of crop combination models in different soil and climatic zones of Ukraine, where yields of 36.2-51.8 t/ha of green mass and 7.1-11.5 t/ ha of dry matter were obtained over the years of use. The creation of a mixed crop allows producing high-quality plant material that is superior in energy and protein content to conventional vetch and oat mixtures. It was recommended to create such mixtures by sowing 2.5 mln/ha of cereal and 2.1 mln/ha of leguminous components after applying N45P45K45 to form a crop with high digestibility and nutrition. The system of mixed cropping of Hungarian vetch is promising for the production of silage and high-quality haylage in the face of climate change and as a precursor for post-cutting sowing of maize or sorghum crops