Agroecological testing of various alfalfa varieties under the conditions of the south of the Primorsky Region

Abstract

The data of agroecological testing of alfalfa varieties under the conditions of the south of the Primorsky Region are discussed. The research was carried out in a field plot of selective crop rotation of the Federal Research Center of Agro-Biotechnologies of the Far East named after A.K. Chayka (Laboratory of Field and Pasture Forage Production) in 2022 and 2023. The following varieties were the leaders in the accumulation of fresh herbage at the first cutting: Uralochka, Nakhodka, Viktoriya, and Sarga; they exceeded the standard variety (Demetra) 1.7-2.1 times. The following varieties had the highest dry yield per 1 ha: Nakhodka, Uralochka, Voronezhskaya 6, Viktoriya, Agniya VIK, and Sarga exceeding the standard variety 1.6-2.3 times. The varieties Uralochka, Viktoriya, Taisiya, Agniya VIK, and Demetra were characterized by the highest accumulation of fresh herbage at the second cutting. The varieties Viktoriya, Uralochka, and Taisiya had the highest yield of dry herbage per 1 ha and exceeded the standard by 13.5-21.6%. The highest total yield of fresh and dry herbage (two cuttings) was obtained from the varieties Uralochka, Nakhodka, Viktoriya, Sarga, and Agniya VIK. The highest leaf area and crude protein content were obtained from the varieties Sarga, Pavlovskaya 7, Viktoriya, Demetra, and Taisiya. In the studied varieties, the content of crude fiber ranged from 17.7 to 22.3%. The varieties developed by the Ural Research Institute of Agriculture - Uralochka, Viktoriya, Sarga, and Agniya VIK - had the highest number of Russian fodder units per 1 kg of dry herbage. The varieties Sarga, Pavlovskaya 7, Viktoriya, Demetra, and Taisiya were distinguished by the highest content of digestible protein per 1 kg of dry herbage. The varieties Uralochka, Nakhodka, and Viktoriya were had high total yield of Russian fodder units and digestible protein per 1 ha. The amount of digestible protein per one Russian fodder unit was relatively high in all the studied alfalfa varieties; the varieties Sarga, Pavlovskaya 7, and Taisiya had the highest values.