QUALITY OF HERBAL RAW MATERIALS AND NUTRIENT REMOVAL IN LONG-TERM MID-RIPENING THREE-CUT CEREAL STANDS
The studies were conducted on long-term (1–34th years of use) mid-ripening three-cut agrocenoses. It was found that during irrigation and application of N260P75K220, an increase in the yield of 1 ha compared to non-irrigated grasses when feeding N180P35K160 amounted to 21–23% on the agrocenoses with awnless brome grass and 30–31% with reed canary grass. Consumption of nitrogen by herbs increased by 20–24 (herbage with awnless brome grass) and 27–29% (with reed canary grass), and phosphorus (P2O5) — by 20–25 and 34–35%. The increase in the removal of potassium and calcium during irrigation did not depend on the composition of agrocenoses and amounted to 17–22 (for K2O) and 47–51% (for CaO). With each centner of dry matter is carried out: 2.1–2.2 kg of nitrogen; 2.2–2.4 K2O; 0.6–0.7 P2O5 and 0.6–0.8 kg CaO. Some of these substances are extracted from the grass soil. To maintain the productivity of grass stands at a high level with long-term intensive use of the meadow, the reserves of nutrients available to herbs in the soil are not enough. Multi-cut use of agrocenoses is possible only with the systematic feeding of each subsequent mowing with optimal doses of fertilizers. In the mowing conveyor system, mid-season grass stands allow to extend the harvesting period of high-quality green mass for haylage and silage by 7–10 days in each mowing. The obtained grass raw materials on three-mowing agrocenoses (during irrigation and without irrigation) in terms of the content of crude protein and crude cellulose meet the requirements of GOST in the first mowing on grass stands with awnless brome – the second class, with reed canary grass – of the third class. In the second mowing of all agrocenoses, the raw material mass corresponded to the second class, in the third mowing – to the first class. According to the content of macronutrients (phosphorus, potassium and calcium) in the dry matter of grass raw materials obtained on agrocenoses with awnless brome and reed canary grass during irrigation and natural moisture, the green mass corresponds to zootechnical norms of animal feeding. The use of high-quality bulky feeds prepared from the green mass of the middle link of the raw material conveyor will reduce the consumption of concentrates and mineral additives in the winter diet of animals.