The estimation of productivity and quality of alfalfa feed in the competitive variety testing

Among perennial fodder legumes, alfalfa occupies a special place. This crop culture in many southern regions of the country makes it possible to yield full value bulky feeds with an average nutritional value of more than 10 MJ of exchange energy per 1 kg of dry matter and 16–17% or more raw protein content for the introduction of cost-effective livestock production. The purpose of the current study was to isolate new alfalfa varieties with a high productivity of green mass and seeds, good quality of feed highly adapted to various biotic and abiotic stress factors. In the competitive variety testing of alfalfa sown in 2015 the populations “Sin 18/95” (24.6 t/ha), “Sin 28/04” (26.0 t/ha) and “Sin 17/95” (26.4 t/ha) were identified according to green mass productivity. The same population were identified according to dry matter productivity (6.6–8.1 t/ha). The highest dry matter percentage were identified in the populations “Sin 17/95” and “Sin 28/04” (27.3%), “Sin 24/04” (27.6%) and “Sin 23/04” (27.7%). The best populations in raw protein content were “Sin 5/04” (20.45%) and “A-5” (20.48%). The synthetic populations “Sin 18/95” (0.44 t/ha of average yield), “Sin 17/95” (0.45 t/ha of average yield), “Sin 8/95” (0.46 t/ha of average yield) exceeded the standard variety in seed productivity throughout the years. The synthetic populations “Sin 28/04”, “Sin 18/95”, “Sin 17/95” and “Sin 8/95”, identified among the others due to many traits are going to be studied in further breeding work with the prospect to be sent to State Variety Testing. The identified populations will be introduced into the breeding process as the sources of economically valuable traits.

1. Blagoveshchenskij G. V. Innovacionnyj potencial bobovogo raznoobraziya travostoev [The innovative potential of the legume diversity of grass stands] // Kormoproizvodstvo. 2013. № 12. S. 8–9.

2. Doncova A. A., Filippov E. G. Sozdanie novyh sortov yachmenya, adaptirovannyh k usileniyu aridnosti klimata [The development of new barley varieties, adapted to increasing climate aridity] // Zernovoe hozyajstvo Rossii. 2014. № 6(36). S. 43–49.

3. Kosolapov V. M., Trofimov I. A. Znachenie kormoproizvodstva v sel’skom hozyajstve [The importance of feed production in agriculture] // Zernobobovye i krupyanye kul’tury. 2013. № 2. S. 59–63.

4. Krivosheev G. Ya., Ignat’ev A. S., Buin N. P. Izmenenie klimaticheskih uslovij v yuzhnoj zone Rostovskoj oblasti v period vegetacii kukuruzy [Climate change in the southern zone of the Rostov region during the growing period of maize] // Zernovoe hozyajstvo Rossii. 2014. № 1(31). S. 44–50.

5. Perepravo N. I. Sovremennoe sostoyanie i osnovnye napravleniya razvitiya travoseyaniya i semenovodstva kormovyh trav v Rossii [Current status and main directions of development of forage grass sowing and seed production in Russia] // Adaptivnoe kormoproizvodstvo. 2014. № 1. S. 12–21.

6. Samofalova N. E., Dubinina O. A., Samofalov A. P., Ilichkina N. P. Rol’ meteofaktorov v formirovanii produktivnosti ozimoj tverdoj pshenicy [The role of meteorological factors in the formation of winter durum wheat productivity] // Zernovoe hozyajstvo Rossii. 2019. № 5(65). S. 18–23.

7. Ushachev I. G. Importozameshchenie v APK Rossii: problemy i perspektivy: monografiya [Import substitution in the agricultural sector of Russia: problems and prospects]. M.: Vserossijskij NII ekonomiki sel’skogo hozyajstva, 2015. 447 s.

8. Shamsutdinov Z. Sh. Dostizheniya i strategiya razvitiya selekcii kormovyh kul’tur [Achievements and development strategy for feed crops breeding] // Kormoproizvodstvo. 2010. № 8. S. 25–27.

9. Shpakov A. S. Osnovnye napravleniya razvitiya i nauchnoe obespechenie polevogo kormoproizvodstva v sovremennyh usloviyah [The main directions of development and scientific support of field feed production in present conditions] // Kormoproizvodstvo. 2007. № 5. S. 8–11.