Forage Plants of Chechnya and Classification of Natural Forage Lands

Abstract

This paper reviews the results of botanical studies of the plant cover of natural forage lands of Chechnya and adjacent territories with the goal of developing recommendations for their sustainable use and protection. The study reveals the typological structure and territorial distribution of acreages; the current state and features of the species usage are estimated; the floristic and biomorphic diversity of the plant cover is researched. The object of the research is the flora of forage plants of the Chechen Republic and adjacent territories. The studies were carried out with the help of the traditional route approach; the most interesting areas were studied in detail and their floristic lists were created. The main way of logging the information was herbarium collections. Besides, the data obtained when working with the herbarium collections at the herbarium repositories of the Chechen State Pedagogical University, the Complex Scientific Research Institute of RAS, Academy of Sciences of the Chechen Republic were used. When compiling the systematic list, the data published in "Flora of the USSR", "Flora of the Caucasus", "Flora of the North Caucasus", "Notes about the Flora of the Chechen Republic", as well as some monographs on individual taxa are taken into account. In the course of the expeditionary research, in addition to the herbarium collections, various observations were made concerning phenology, habitat types, phytocenotic role, and ecological attribution of the species. The research results. The state of mountain meadows and their species structure are researched. The fodder qualities of various species of gramineuos plants, sedges, legumes and wild grasses recommended for improving natural meadows and pastures are indicated. The types of the defined groups having different economic value (well eaten, nutritious, of the secondary importance, poisonous, weedy) are listed. The principles of the species selection for the goals of enrichment and qualitative improvement of mountain meadows are defined; they refer to their feeding advantages, fresh yield, resistance to trampling, regenerative ability, high competitiveness and other bioecological features adequate to the conditions of the improved coenosis. For the meadows and pastures of different altitudes, orientations of slopes and various substrates a large set of species promising for a qualitative improvement of mountain pastures is proposed. The research results are of practical value and can be taken into account in the economic usage of mountain meadows and pastures of the North Caucasus.

Halophytes of Tersko-kumsk Lowland Area, Their Protection and Rational Use

“…Over moistened saline lands should be subjected to partial drainage, and their vegetation cover --to milling. Such agrotechnical methods allow achieving good development, seeding and high yield of many salt-resistant cereals, especially saltmarshgrass, which have a high substance of digestible protein [26]. The economic value of saltmarsh-grass is much higher than euhalophytes.…”

“…due to their low lignification, are the highest[26--30].Wheat grass (46,0 centner/ha of green mass), shoreweed saltmarsh-grasses(27,0 centner/ha), gonimic saltmarsh-grasses (18,0 centner/ha) and other communities giving early nutritious food, rich in mineral substances, are valuable.Solonchak vegetation and solonchak steppes are decreasing every year. It is necessary to take measures to preserve them as a kind of ecosystem that characterizes the distinctive landscape of certain regions of the North Caucasus.…”