The purpose of the research is to study the botanical composition, productivity and nutrition of annual legume-grass mixtures formed on the basis of promising legumes varieties, and technological methods of silaging the resulting plant mass during harvesting. The research method included a field experiment in 2012–2015 conducted on the experimental field of the Northwestern Research Institute for Dairy and Grassland Farming in the Vologda Oblast and laboratory experience in silaging. The scheme of field experience consisted of 7 options; the laboratory experience included 20 options. The research was conducted in accordance with the guidelines for conducting field experiments developed at the All-Russian Williams Fodder Research Institute and the guidelines for conducting experiments on preserving and storing bulky feed. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the research has identified the best legume-grass mixtures established on the basis of promising varieties of annual crops, providing the stable yields of green mass for the first time in the European North of the Russian Federation; in addition, a search of effective methods of conservation annual legume-cereal mixtures harvested in the early phases of development has been carried out. As a result of the research, a legume- grass mixture consisting of pea and oats (60:40%) with a yield of aboveground biomass of 5.04 t/ha of dry matter was released. It should be noted that single-species sowing of field pea provided the highest protein yield – 0.70 t/ha, its mixed sowing with oats (60:40%) − 0.58 t/ha. The highest protein content of 15.1% was obtained in the plant mass of Vologodskii Usatii field pea variety. The best indicator for protein content (11.9%) among the mixtures was provided by a mixture of pea with barley and spring vetch with a crop ratio of 20:60:20%. Silage obtained from pea and its mixtures contained up to 14.6% protein and had a concentration of exchange energy of up to 10.5 MJ per 1 kg of dry feed substance. Optimal silage acidification to pH 3.8–3.9 was provided by Bonsilage Forte. The research findings can be used by agricultural enterprises of the European North of the Russian Federation
Keywords
productivity, barley, agrophytocenoses, nutrition, promising varieties, oats, silage, legumes