Energy and economic efficiency of forage crop rotations under different fertilisation systems in conditions of the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe

Purpose. To determine the economic and energy assessment of forage crop rotations including forage grain crops under different fertilization systems and to establish the most effective variants for the zone of unstable moisture on the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine black soils. Methods. Field studies were conducted during 2021-2023 at different variants long-term crop rotations with systematic placement in triplicate. Methods of field and laboratory research in feed production, statistical analysis were used. Results. High-yielding crop rotations including grain crops provided grain productivity from 4.08 to 5.77 t/ha per 1 ha of crop rotation area, and feed units – from 8.70 to 10.47 t/ha. The cost price of grain was 3359-3724 UAH/t, feed unit – 1859-1876 UAH/t, profitability – 122.5-151.1%. The saturation of crop rotations with high-energy crops contributed to the accumulation of energy in the yield up to 698392 MJ/ha, the energy efficiency coefficient (EEC) was 5.4-7.02, which is significantly higher than in the variant with a smaller share of corn (EEC – 3.8). With a corn yield of 10.0 t/ha, the energy accumulation was 150608 MJ/ha, EEС – 8.76, while with a yield of 8.5 t/ha – 129349 MJ/ha, EEС – 7.6. Conclusions. The high efficiency of forage crop rotations on the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine black soils is the result of the optimal selection of crops in the crop rotation. For dairy farms, it is recommended to use high-energy crops such as corn for grain and silage. For pork farms, optimal crops include corn for grain, barley, peas and soybeans. Such crop rotations provide high yields of grain, feed units and energy, as well as high profitability.