The effect of mineral fertilizers on the productivity of perennial grasses in a long-term stationary experiment

Abstract

The article presents the results of studies (1991–1994, 2005–2007 and 2015–2018) conducted on leached heavy loam chernozem in the Republic of Mordovia. The purpose of the research is to conduct a comparative assessment of the effect of mineral fertilizers on the yield and quality of alfalfa and awnless brome. The analysis of long-term results showed that the productivity of alfalfa during three rotations of the field crop rotation was higher by 0.64, 1.05 and 0.15 t/ha compared with the awnless brome (5.73, 4.43 and 5.54 t/ha). The application of phosphorus-potassium (PK) fertilizers for alfalfa increased the harvest by an average of 18 %, with a payback of 1 kg a.i. of fertilizer with 8 kg of hay and an additional income of 1.3 rubles/rub. The use of a full mineral seed with doses of nitrogen N30–90 for awnless brome increased crop yield from 36 to 67 % compared to the PK variant (4.15 t/ha), additional income amounted to 1.15–1.29 rubles / rub, payback of 1 kg of a.i. of nitrogen – 32.7–45.5 kg of hay. The analysis of the experimental material showed that the concentration of crude protein in the green mass of alfalfa was 1.5 times higher than in the awnless brome (12.89 %). Complete mineral fertilizer increased the crude protein content in the green mass of the awnless brome in some years from 8 to 28 %, in alfalfa only by 2-3 % compared with the PK variant. According to the collection of crude protein per unit area, alfalfa crops (on average 1,133 kg/ha) differed favorably from awnless brome (684 kg/ha).

Keywords

• alfalfa
• awnless brome
• yield
• payback of fertilizers
• additional income
• crude protein
• collection of crude protein