PRODUCTIVITY AND FODDER VALUE OF PASTURE FEED IN SPRING AND SUMMER SEASONS

Abstract

The article presents the results of determining the productivity and forage value for the
main types of desert pasture types of the southwestern region in the Republic of Kazakhstan
in the spring and summer seasons of their use. They are necessary for the development of
animal rationed feeding for desert branches of animal husbandry under grazing conditions.
An analysis of the forage productivity in the main groups of desert pastures shows that
in the spring season, according to the gross and the eatable food productivity (4,90 and 3,43
centner/hectare of dry fodder herbage, respectively), relatively high productivity indices were
in semi-shrub-ephemeral pasture types, grass stand of which consist of wormwood in the
phase of vegetative development and rapidly developing in the spring season of ephemera and
ephemeroids. The feed herbage of semi-shrub-ephemeral pastures in the specified season
consists (mostly ephemera and ephemeroids) mainly from silky wormwood, the rest of the
forage plants make up no more than 15-20%, sometimes only in the spring the content of
desert sedge increases in the composition of grass stand to 35-40%. In general, ephemeral
grass stand gives the maximum supply of food in the spring, wormwood gives it in the
summer and autumn. The highest gross stock of semi-shrub-ephemeral pastures reaches the
beginning of the summer period of their use and averages 5,77 centners per hectare of dry
fodder herbage.
In the indicated spring-summer seasons of the year, on the pasture and feeding
conditions, the worst are the Russian thistle pastures, as all annual juicy Russian thistle during
the growing season is not eaten by sheep mainly because of the highest content of ash
substancеs (78 g/kg) and the mineralization of the composition in grass stand specified
periods.