Alfalfa Seed Production in the Forest-Steppe Zone of the Chechen Republic Conditions

УДК 633/635:631.52
DOI: 10.34736/FNC.2024.125.2.006.45-51

Magomed Sh. Abasov, e-mail: shaaman79@yandex.ru, Senior Researcher, ORCID: 0000-0003-4050-8637
Magomed Sh. Gaplaev, Dr. Sci. (Agr.), Professor, Director, ORCID: 0000-0001-6638-6397
Shaarani M. Abasov, Cand. Sci. (Agr.), Senior Researcher, ORCID: 0009-0000-3705-9514
Ruslan Kh. Bekbulatov, Cand. Sci. (Agr.), Senior Researcher, ORCID: 0009-0009-6148-7741

Chechen research Institute of Agricultural, e-mail: chechniish@mail.ru, 366021, Baysangurovsky district, Lilovaya st., 1, Grozny, Russia

Abstract. Alfalfa seed production in the south of Russia was carried out by enterprises located in steppe areas at the end of the last century. In the forest-steppe zone, overgrowth of crops was observed due to overwetting. Recently, due to the observed global warming, the forest-steppe zone of the Chechen Republic has become more favorable for the alfalfa seeds production according to agro-climatic characteristics. In steppe areas, seed production has become less efficient due to the need for stable irrigation. The development of methods to increase the alfalfa seed productivity based on growing seeds in a forest-steppe zone by selecting optimal methods and seeding rates and applying appropriate agrotechnical measures to care for crops is an urgent problem. The purpose of this work was to improve the technology of alfalfa cultivation, to develop evidence-based methods for increasing the alfalfa seed productivity in the forest-steppe zone of the Chechen Republic conditions. For the first time in the forest-steppe zone of the Chechen Republic conditions, studies were carried out on Feya alfalfa (Medicago sativa) crops by Krasnodar breeding, where the hydrothermal coefficient averaged 0.8-1.2. The soil on the experimental site is typical medium–sized chernozem, underlain by pebbles, pH 6.9. The humus content is average, nitrogen reserves are average, phosphorus is small, potassium is high. The experience was two-factor, the methods and norms of alfalfa sowing were studied. As a result of the research, a significant influence of both factors on the growth, development and seed productivity of alfalfa was revealed. The positive effect of the minimum seeding rate (1.0 million pcs/ha) on alfalfa crops with row spacing of 45 cm has been established. Positive research results in 2018-2020 indicate the possibility of growing alfalfa seed crops in more favorable conditions of the forest-steppe zone of the Chechen Republic.

Keywords: alfalfa, seed productivity, row spacing, sowing rate, sowing density, yield structure, weather conditions

Funding. The work was carried out within the framework of the state task «Develop a system of alfalfa seed production based on innovative technologies for the production of high-quality seeds taking into account the soil and climatic conditions of the Chechen Republic» No. FNME-2022-0005 for Chechen research Institute of Agricultural.

Citation. Abasov М. Sh., Gaplaev М. Sh., Abasov Sh. М., Bekbulatov R. Kh. Alfalfa Seed Production in the Forest-Steppe Zone of the Chechen Republic Conditions. Scientific Agronomy Journal. 2024;2(125):45-51. DOI: 10.34736/FNC.2024.125.2.006.45-51