Abstract

In agro-ecosystems, fertilization practices are crucial for sustaining forage grasses. At the same time, the aftereffect of fertilizers on the productivity of meadow clover has not been studied enough. Here, based on a stationary field experiment, we studied the influence of various fertilizer systems on the yield and quality of the green mass of meadow clover (Trifolium pratense L.) of the Dymkovskiy variety. The research was carried out in accordance with the methodology of field experience on sod-mediumpodzolic light-loamy soil in the conditions of the north of the Non-Chernozem zone of Russia on the educational and experimental field of the Vologda State Dairy Academy during 2018 to 2020. The scheme of the experiment included 3 fertilizer systems (organic, mineral and organo-mineral) and 2 levels of soil acidity. It was found that in the conditions of a five-field grain-grass crop rotation, the aftereffect of the organo-mineral fertilizer system, in which the use of cattle manure at a dose of 50 t/ha was combined with the application of mineral fertilizers during liming, contributed to the formation of the highest yield of meadow clover – 51.2 to 64.8 t/ha. According to the results of the experiment, the effectiveness of the aftereffect of the organo-mineral fertilizer system against the background of liming was proved, which contributed to the additional collection of crude protein by 24.6%, feed units – 12.3%, exchange energy by 11.42% compared to the control. The results of this experiment indicate that use of organic joint with mineral amendments not only reduces the need for higher amount of fertilizer but also improves its’ feed qualities of meadow clover.