ASSESSMENT OF VARIOUS WAYS OF USING THE HERBAGE OF IMPROVED HAYFIELDS AND PASTURES

Abstract

A crucial condition for the development of animal husbandry is the creation of a solid fodder base. Special attention should be paid to increasing the productivity of natural forage lands, creating improved hayfields and pastures with proper use. The basis for the scientific research on this topic is the study on the identification of certain ways of using the herbage of improved hayfields and pastures, which is aimed at obtaining and maintaining high feed productivity. Field experiments were conducted in the 3^rd agroclimatic zone of the Stavropol Territory from 2019 to 2023, where 3 methods of using grass were studied and evaluated by species composition and productivity: haymaking, pasture and combined (haymaking + aftermath pasture). The studies have found that the most effective way for forage lands is the combined use of herbage through a rational combination of haymaking and pasture. This method of forage lands use made it possible to obtain an average of 21,2–32,5 t/ha of green mass and 3,15–6,13 t/ha of dry matter, 74,9 kg of feed units, 18,5 kg of digestible protein per 100 kg of air-dry matter in 4 years of productive life of the herbage with the lowest energy intensity of dry matter. A significant increase in the exchange energy and low total energy costs of this method was reflected in the net energy gain and amounted to 9,2 GJ/ha, which was 1,7 times higher compared to haymaking and pasture use. Unilateral pasture use gave a yield of 25–42% lower than with haymaking and 36–48% lower than with combined use, but young pasture grass had a higher nutritional value of 87,9 kg of feed units and 20.2 kg of digestible protein per 100 kg of air-dry matter on average for 4 years of productive life, which was an important source of energy in animal feeding. The haymaking method of use was close to the combined method in terms of yield and forage value, but the net energy gain (5,4 GJ/ha), obtained with this method, was 41,3% lower compared to the combined method.