Influence of different sowing times on the productivity of flow-free alfalfa under the conditions of light-chestnut soils of the Astrakhan region

The article presents the results of studying the influence of various periods of alfalfa sowing in rainfed conditions on the yield of green mass. The results of the research showed that the late autumn sowing period is more productive than the spring one, the excess in the second year of life averaged 8.4 t/ha for variety samples; the maximum yield in the variant with late autumn sowing was recorded in variable alfalfa Rostovskaya 60 (standard) and amounted to 46.0 t/ha.

Abstract Introduction. In the Astrakhan region, for a long time, natural pastures were the main source of succulent fodder. Today, due to climate change (more frequent droughts, winters with little snow, low rainfall), as well as uncontrolled, year-round, exceeding all allowable norms for the load per hectare, farm animals, natural pastures are under threat of extinction. Overseeding of perennial leguminous grasses, which are of great agroecological and agrotechnical importance, as well as provide animals with high-protein vegetable feed, can solve this problem. Due to the arid climate, alfalfa for hay in the region is cultivated mainly on irrigation. But this method is not suitable for pasture restoration. Therefore, the development of new improved agricultural practices for the cultivation of alfalfa in rainfed conditions is timely and relevant. The purpose of our research was to determine the optimal timing of sowing alfalfa under rainfed conditions on light chestnut soils of the Astrakhan region.

Materials and methods. The task was solved by setting up a field experiment in 2020 ... 2022 according to the method of Dospekhov B.A. (1985), VIR guidelines (1985) and practical recommendations of the All-Russian Research Institute of Feeds (1999) in the fields of the Federal State Budget Scientific Institution "PAFNTs RAS", located in the north of the Astrakhan region.

Object. The object of the study was alfalfa varieties from the collection of the All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources named after N.I. Vavilov. The subject of the study was different timing of sowing alfalfa.

Results and conclusions. The agro-climatic resources of the Astrakhan region make it possible to grow alfalfa on dry land; the late autumn sowing period is more productive than in the spring, the excess in the second year of life averaged 8.4 t/ha for variety samples; the maximum yield in the variant with a late autumn sowing period was recorded for alfalfa variable Rostovskaya 60 (standard) and amounted to 46.0 t/ha; in the experimental variants with the spring sowing period, 5 samples significantly exceeded the standard in terms of green mass yield, the maximum yield was in the King alfalfa variety – 22.7 t/ha.

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