Seed productivity of creeping alfalfa depending on meteorological conditions in the northern forest-steppe
For a long period (1988-2016) in Chelyabinsk Research Institute of Agriculture an ecological studying was carried out to find the seed productivity of alfalfa cultivated according to the industrial technology along with new varieties being used: Yaroslavna, Vega 87, Flora 4, Uralochka. Meteorological conditions had a significant effect on the yield of seeds, which varied within a wide range from 0 to 350 kg/ha. On average, over the years of studying, the yield of seeds was about 78 kg/ha. With the help of regression analysis, it was possible to establish that with the precipitation amount increase during the summer period the yield of seeds decreases. A higher yield of seeds can be obtained when 130-180 mm of precipitation falls during the above mentioned period, the seed productivity being also largely dependent on the average air temperature over the vegetation period. With an increase in the average daily air temperature during May-September, the yield of alfalfa seeds increased. The higher seed production of alfalfa was obtained at an average air temperature of + 16.8-17.7 °C for the period mentioned above