Productivity and nutritional value of perennial cereal grasses in the Middle Cis-Urals

Abstract

The purpose of the research was the assessment of feed productivity and nutritional value of 13 new varieties of meadow timothy, meadow fescue and awnless brome when cultivated for green mass in the Middle Cis-Urals. The research was carried out in 2018–2022 on sod-podzolic medium loamy soil of the Udmurt Republic. Meteorological conditions of the growing seasons during the years of the research were different: 2018, 2021 and 2022 were arid (hydrothermal coefficient – 0.89, 0.78 and 0.91, respectively), 2020 – slightly arid (HTC – 1.04), 2019 – waterlogged (HTC – 1.73). The beginning of regrowth of the studied varieties of perennial cereal grasses was noted in the third ten days of April; the grass reached mowing ripeness in 44–60 days. The yield of meadow timothy varieties on average for three years of using the grass stand was at the level of 3.5–3.9 t/ha of dry weight, meadow fescue – 2.3–2.4 t/ha, awnless brome – 4.5–4.7 t/ha. The “year conditions” factor had a primary influence on the variation in yield, density and height of the grass stand – 92.4…97.4 %, 62.9…79.2, 80.3…82.6 %, respectively. The “genotype x year” factor also influenced the number of shoots and their height. Fescue varieties were distinguished by a relatively high content of crude fat (2.5–3.1 %), sugars (15.6–17.7 %), and calcium (0.31–0.36 %). High content of crude fat (2.3–2.6 %), phosphorus (0.68–0.71 %), potassium (2.45–2.52 %), calcium (0.31–0.39 %) noted in plant samples of awnless brome varieties. A positive strong correlation between the yield of dry mass of cereal grasses and the content of phosphorus (r = 0.87…0.96) and potassium (r = 0.69…0.85) in it was revealed. Some varieties of perennial cereal grasses were distinguished by their nutritional value: meadow timothy varieties Sleipnir (Finland), Aturo (Germany) and Tamiza (Germany) with a yield per 1 hectare of metabolic energy of 32.3–34.4 GJ, digestible protein – 0.14–0.16 tons, feed units – 2.41–2.60 thousand; meadow fescue variety Karpatchi (Netherlands) – 21.2 GJ, 0.09 tons, 1.57 thousand; awnless brome variety Gvardeets (Russia) – 35.7 GJ, 0.25 tons and 2.58 thousand, respectively. Cultivation of Karpatchi fescue, Sleipnir timothy and Gvardeets brome is energetically and economically profitable: energy efficiency coefficient – 1.9; 3.0 and 3.6, profitability level – 65; 101 and 161 %, respectively.