Productivity of less common agricultural crops depending on the sowing dates in the conditions of Transbaikalia

The article presents the results of the study of the influence of sowing dates on the productivity of less common agricultural fodder crops: fodder millet, Sudan grass, spring triticale, Scarlet amaranth and fodder beans. The studies were carried out at the experimental field of the Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Eastern Siberia located in the forest-steppe zone of Transbaikalia. The soil of the site is meadow-chernozem mealy-carbonate, light loam by granulometric composition. The studied crops were sown at different dates to determine the degree of influence of the sowing dates on the duration of interphase periods of plant development, their linear growth, foliage and productivity: May 15 and 25, June 15 and 25. The obtained data indicate that by changing the sowing dates it is possible to influence the productivity of the studied crops and the quality of forages made on their basis. The best indicators on fodder productivity and nutritive value were demonstrated by the crops sown on June 15: yield of green mass – 18.9–30.5 t/ha, dry matter – 3.93–5.70 t/ha, yield of fodder units – 3.03–4.67 t/ha, digestible protein content – 306–901 kg/ha, gross energy – 38.12–57.57 GJ/ha, provision of 1 fodder unit with digestible protein – 93–193 g. Crops of fodder beans and Scarlet amaranth had an advantage, characterized by the following indicators: yield of green mass – 29.6–30.5 t/ha, dry matter yield – 5.70–5.95 t/ha, yield of fodder units – 4.20–4.67 t/ha, digestible protein content – 722–901 kg/ha, gross energy – 52.86–57.57 GJ/ha, provision of 1 fodder unit of digestible protein – 172–193 g. Agrocenoses of Poaceae crops (spring triticale, fodder millet, Sudan grass) were inferior in productivity: their green mass yield was 14.4 –18.9 t/ha, dry matter yield – 2.97–3.93 t/ha, yield of fodder units – 2.23–3.03 t/ha, digestible protein content – 207–341 kg/ha, gross energy – 28.51–38.12 GJ/ha, provision of 1 fodder unit with digestible protein – 93–121 g.