Medicago falcata L. Population State and Prospects for Use in North-Western Region

Abstract

Meadows play an important role in maintaining the floristic diversity of regional floras. The phytocenotic allocation of the Medicago falcata L. population has not been sufficiently studied, as well as patterns of distribution of its units and unit groups, viability in a specific habitat under various anthropogenic influences. The growth and development of Medicago falcata L. populations under optimal conditions are becoming increasingly relevant and are promising in theoretical and applied aspects.The purpose is to study morphological characteristics and search for valuable forms of Medicago falcata L. to create varieties with high seed and feed productivity in the process of breeding work. The morphological characteristics of plants were studied depending on the age state and distribution of units in the territory they occupied. We have established that the total number of plants in the juvenile state in the population varies little from year to year, although the quantitative ratios of young plants of individual species can fluctuate significantly. This indicates that units in the juvenile state occupy a common ecological niche in the cenosis. The population of Medicago falcata L., growing in the Shelon meadow in the Soltsydistrict, differ in the methods of vegetation resumption, with numerous well-leafed shoots and high ecological plasticity. The formed meadow ecosystems depend not only on the natural conditions in their locations, but also on the influence of anthropogenic factors, which in turn affects the biogeocenosis (living organisms and their interaction with the environment) and, accordingly, the species composition of the meadow. There are rosette-free monocyclic vegetative and generative shoots, with a well-developed root system vertically and horizontally in the soil profile.