Rump without awns to improve the forage supply in livestock farms

The harvesting campaign in Khakassia is gaining momentum. Agricultural producers of the republic began to fill up seeds for the 2023 harvest . The branch’s specialists are faced with the task of checking seed material intended for sowing in 2024 .

One of the first batches to be tested was a batch of awnless brome seeds. The main share of crops in the republic is cereals, so rump is an infrequent guest of the laboratory. But it is a valuable fodder crop, very useful for farm animals, as it contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals necessary to maintain the productivity and health of animals. Bonfire is used to obtain green fodder for livestock, hay and straw, as well as to create perennial pastures.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Khakassia, crops of perennial grasses occupy 43% of the total area, while the area of ​​varietal crops of brome occupies less than 1% of the area of ​​crops of perennial grasses.  

SIBNIISKHOZ 189 is the only variety that is cultivated in the republic. This variety was bred at the Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture by the method of interspecific hybridization of awnless brome and straight brome with subsequent selection of dense bush forms. This is the first variety of awnless rump created in Siberia, which has found the widest distribution. It is cultivated in 11 regions and territories of the Russian Federation and in other CIS countries on an area of ​​more than 1.5 million hectares.

 When growing rump without irrigation, up to 45 centners of hay are obtained from 1 hectare. The yield of rump seeds in the second year of its growth ranges from 3 to 5 centners per hectare.

Awnless brome is a perennial rhizomatous riding grass that will grow up to 100 cm in height. The root system of the plant is powerful, fibrous, extending into the soil to a depth of 2 meters. Thanks to this, the fire easily tolerates even severe droughts. Withstands brome and prolonged flooding of the area. The main way of propagation of this grass is by root, when new shoots grow from a root that spreads over a considerable distance. Culture in this way covers vast areas in a short time. Thanks to this method of propagation, the plant is resistant to most unfavorable environmental factors and, even in bad years, produces a large amount of green mass.

You can mow the grass of the awnless brome or feed it to livestock no more than three times per season. The minimum height of the shoots should always be 60 cm or more. If this rule is not followed, the plant will not have time to recover, which will affect the quality of the grass and the ability to obtain a good volume of green mass next year. With proper agricultural technology, awnless brome can produce a full harvest within 4-6 years from the moment of planting. After this, during industrial cultivation, plants are replaced. When using grass for landscaping, such a need does not arise, since awnless brome does not lose its decorative effect over the years.

On a pasture sown with this cereal, grazing can begin only from the third year of the plant’s life. At this time, a strong turf has already been formed, which prevents trampling. Cattle can be grazed during the period from the beginning of brome tillering until the formation of inflorescences. It is recommended to end grazing 30 days before the end of the plant’s growing season, so that it has time to recover by winter. If you do not follow this rule, the animals will damage the sprouting parts of the grass and excessively compact the soil. As a result, the brome will be severely damaged, so the pasture will need to be created anew. 

When sowing a plant as a forage crop, a gap of 20-40 cm should be maintained between the rows so that the bushes do not clog each other. With such seeding, 12 to 17 kg of grass seeds are required per 1 hectare of land.

Since ancient times, awnless brome has been used to produce livestock feed, both green and dry. This plant, in comparison with most species from the same family, tolerates even prolonged droughts well while maintaining high yields.

In view of these positive features of the crop, it is recommended to pay attention to awnless brome and use it to improve the food supply on your farms.