Productivity, feed quality and bioenergetic estimation of cultivation of the sainfoin varieties and promising lines

The current paper has presented the estimation results of productivity, feed quality and bioenergetic efficiency of cultivation of the sainfoin varieties and promising lines. The study was carried out at the FSBSI «ARC «Donskoy» in 2019–2022. The objects of the study were 5 sainfoin varieties included in the State List and approved for use in different regions of Russia, one variety, which is currently on the State Variety Testing, and three promising lines. The standard variety was ‘Zernogradsky 2’. For 4 years the sainfoin varieties, included in the List, exceeded the standard variety on 8.3–17.4 % of green mass yield, on 5.4–10.8 % of dry matter, on 6.8–13.9 % of seeds. The variety ‘Atamansky 20’ and promising lines exceeded the standard on 17.8–23.4 %, 23.0–29.7 % and 16.7–31.0 %, respec tively. The sainfoin varieties and lines significantly exceeded the standard variety in their nutritional value. These indicators were the highest in the line ‘Sin 3/2004’ and amounted to 5.610 thousand/ha f.u., 1.59 t/ha of crude and 990 kg/ha of digestible protein. The varieties ‘Atamansky’, ‘Veles’, ‘Sudar’ and ‘Shuravi’ accumulated energy on 8.5–16.5 % more than the standard variety with green mass productivity, net energy income exceeded that of the standard variety on 9.1–17.7 %. The promising lines produced on 21.2–23.6 % more energy with vegetative mass harvesting than the standard variety. The coefficients of energy efficiency of the varieties and promising lines were 3.4–3.6. With seed yields, sainfoin varieties and promising lines accumulated energy on 6.5–31.1 % more than the standard variety. At the same time, net energy income was higher on 16.3–83.5 %, and the CEE was 1.7–2.2.