G.N. Cherkasov, N.A. Sosov
All-Russian Research Institute of Farming and Soil Protection from Erosion, ul. Karla Marksa, 70b, Kursk, 305021, Russian Federation
Abstract. Methods of creating high-yield hayfields on idle sloping lands in the Central Chernozem Area are considered. To reveal effective practices of reclamation of idle lands for haymaking a field experiment was conducted. It was laid out on the slope of the east exposure, slope angle was 5 degrees, on leached chernozem soil in 2006. In the experiment two methods of primary tillage were studied, i.e. multiple disking with BDT-3 heavy disk harrow at 10-12 cm, and moldboard plowing with PLN-3-35 plow at 20-22 cm. The experiment included two levels of herbicide application (no herbicides and soil sprinkling with Roundup, 5 l/ha, before soil processing) and two levels of fertilizer application (no fertilizers and annual application of N60P60K60 in spring). Hungarian sainfoin was sown alone and mixed with awnless brome grass. The thickest grass stand and the highest hay yield of perennial grasses are achieved by using moldboard plowing as primary tillage with herbicide application before tillage and with annual top dressing with fertilizer at the rate of N60P60K60. On average for 10 years hay yield in this variant was 6.08 t/ha. By the 10th year of usage Hungarian sainfoin fell out of the grass stand. The decrease in the share of sown grasses (awnless brome grass) in the variant with disking by the 10th year of utilization is caused by increased population of couch grass and motley grass. At the reclamation of idle lands in the first three years of utilization (2006-2009) dry weight of roots of Hungarian sainfoin in the soil layer 0-30 cm on average was higher by 760-1380 kg/ha, depending on the variant, than that of the grass mixture awnless brome grass + Hungarian sainfoin. In the following years the awnless brome grass was spreading gradually and the grass mixture with its share exceeded the Hungarian sainfoin by the accumulation of dry root mass. The accumulation of the root mass against the background of moldboard plowing was more than that against the background of disking.
Keywords: idle lands, hayland, tillage, grasses, fertilizers, herbicide, yield, botanical composition.
Author Details: G.N. Cherkasov, corresponding member of the RAS, chief research fellow (e-mail: Этот адрес электронной почты защищён от спам-ботов. У вас должен быть включен JavaScript для просмотра.); N.A. Sosov, Cand. Sc. (Agr.), senior research fellow.
For citation: Cherkasov G.N., Sosov N.A. Methods of Creating High-Yield Hayfields on Idle Sloping Lands in the Central Chernozem Area. Dostizheniya nauki i tekhniki APK. 2017. Vol. 31. No. 5. Pp. 13-15 (in Russ.).