I. V. Epifanova, O. A. Timoshkin
Federal Research Center for Bast Crops, ul. Michurin, 1B, Lunino, Penza Region, Russian Federation
Abstract. Samples of alfalfa (Medicago x varia Martin) were studied under conditions of the Penza region in 2016–2018 to select the forms adapted to the conditions of the forest-steppe zone of the Volga region, resistant to the main crop diseases, with a high dry matter content (8–10 t/ha), and suitable for cultivation as a monocrop and in mixed crops with cereal grasses in hayfields. The soil in the experimental plot was medium loamy leached chernozem with high content of easily hydrolyzable nitrogen (86–92 mg/kg of soil) and increased content of mobile phosphorus and mobile potassium (145–146 mg/kg and 140–155 mg/kg of soil, respectively). When cultivating with a cereal component, the promising varieties Korneotryskovaya 1 and Kornevishnaya 1 were selected. The first was characterized by an excellent overall rating, leaf coverage of 56.7% (+9.7% compared to Kamelia standard), digestible protein output of 0.69 t/ha, and digestible protein content per 1 feed unit of 180 g (+7.8% and +10.5% compared to the standard). The second variety was characterized by an excellent overall rating, leaf coverage of 58.6% (+13.3% compared to the standard), output of digestible protein of 0.69 t/ha (+7.8% compared to the standard), exchange energy yield of 50 GJ/ha, and it is lowly susceptible to Ascochyta blight and brown spotting. In pure sowing, the best samples were Kornevishchnaya 1 with a yield of digestible protein of 1.45 t/ha (+12.4% compared to the standard) and an exchange energy yield of 87 GJ/ha and Populatsia 2 with excellent architectonics, regrowth and tillering capacity, and lowly susceptible to Ascochyta blight and spot disease, leaf coverage of 58.6% (+13.3% compared to the standard), digestible protein yield of 1.43 t/ha (+10.7% compared to the standard), and digestible protein content per 1 feed unit of 246 g (+15.9% compared to the standard).
Keywords: feed production; alfalfa; breeding; yield of dry matter; digestible protein; metabolic energy.
Author Details: I V. Epifanova, Сand. Sc. (Agr.), senior research fellow; O. A. Timoshkin, D. Sc. (Agr.), chief research fellow (e-mail: Этот адрес электронной почты защищён от спам-ботов. У вас должен быть включен JavaScript для просмотра.).
For citation: Epifanova I. V., Timoshkin O. A. Alfalfa Breeding for Forage Purposes under Conditions of the Forest-Steppe in the Middle Volga Region / Dostizheniya nauki i tekhniki APK. 2019. Vol. 33. No. 11. Pp. 48–51 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.24411/0235-2451-2019-11110.