Agriculture and forestry

Hetman Nadiia Yakivna – Doctor of Agricultural Sciences of the Vinnytsia National Agrarian University, Associate Professor of the Department of Plant Production and horticulture (21008, Vinnytsia, Soniachna St. 3).

Vdovenko Serhiy Anatoliyovych – Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor of the Department of Plant Production and Horticulture, Vinnytsia National Agrarian University (21008, Vinnytsia, 3 Sonyachna Street. e-mail: sloi@i.ua).

Guk Ivan Mikhailovich - Assistant of the Department of Plant and Horticulture of Vinnytsia National Agrarian University (21008, м. Вінниця, вул. Сонячна).

This article presents experimental results on the growth performance of Medicago sativa L. cv. Galaxies during the establishment year, depending on seeding rates and fertilization levels. It was established that the crop development was significantly influenced by fluctuations in hydrothermal conditions, as evidenced by plant height, leafiness, and yield of aboveground biomass. Unstable summer weather prolonged the interval between the first and second cuts; however, increased precipitation promoted vigorous regrowth. As a result, the first cut was performed at the early flowering stage after 52–55 days, and the second cut in September (12.09), or after 40–42 days. A statistically significant effect (p<0.01) of the factors “fertilization” and “seeding rate” was observed on plant height, leafiness, and biomass yield. The highest plant height in the first cut was recorded under maximum nutrient supply, reaching 54.5–62.1 cm, which was 2–4 cm taller compared to the unfertilized variant, regardless of seeding rate. During the second cut, under favorable moisture and temperature conditions, plant height reached 73.1–74.9 cm, which was 11.6–15.8 cm higher than in the unfertilized control. The optimal combination was N60P60K60 with a seeding rate of 9.0 million plants/ha, which provided 48.73 t/ha of fresh biomass and 9.92 t/ha of dry matter over two cuts. Additional liming increased the second-cut yield but reduced leafiness. The domestic variety Rosana responded variably to temperature and moisture fluctuations during the growing season. It showed moderate tolerance to hydrothermal stress and, under summer conditions (hydrothermal coefficient HCC = 0.45), produced two cuts with a total biomass yield of 28.35 t/ha and dry matter yield of 6.44 t/ha. Therefore, under conditions of grey podzolic soils in the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe zone, it is advisable to combine moderate mineral nutrition with increased stand density, which reduces the risk of moisture deficit and improves the nutritional value of the forage biomass.

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