Seed production of non-traditional forage crops

Priority area: Sustainable development of the agro-industrial complex and safety of agricultural products

Project manager:  Malitskaya N.V., Candidate of Agricultural Sciences

Performers of the project: students of 3, 4 courses of the specialty "Agronomy".

Terms of execution: 2018-2020

Amount of financing: 10,000,000 tenge.

Project goal: Seed production of non-traditional forage crops.

Expected results: Production of seeds of non-traditional fodder crops, payback of technology, organization of haymaking, where both feed and seeds will be produced.

Description of the project: Non-traditional (less widespread) fodder crops are intended for the production of fortified (vitamin-herbal flour), succulent fodder (silage, haylage). The feed is nutritionally balanced, in this respect it is not inferior to cereals and legumes.

In the conditions of Northern Kazakhstan, such unconventional (uncommon) forage crops as the Transbaikalian mountaineer, eastern sverbiga, astragalus chickpea, sylphia pierced-leaved, belonging to different botanical families, respectively, Buckwheat, Cruciferous, Leguminous, Compositae, united in the Multicolor group, have proven themselves.

We propose to use the joint production of forage and seeds in the haymaking system. It is easier to propagate these crops by seed than vegetative. These crops are not widespread in production due to the lack of primary seed production.

It is necessary to carefully prepare the soil mainly by agrotechnical methods, prepare seed material (calibration, scarification for chickpea astragalus), sow seeds (calculation of the seeding rate taking into account the insurance fund), remove seeds (selection of the seed ripening phase), earn extra seeds (moisture, purity), control the seeds during storage (air humidity, air temperature, atmospheric pressure). Long-term non-traditional fodder crops from the second year and for 7-10 years can be used for fodder purposes and for seeds.

Seed production quickly pays for itself within a few years after the seed is sold. the cost of seeds of non-traditional forage crops is high -1000 -1500 tenge/kg, in comparison with non-traditional 500-900 tenge/kg.

The average yield of seeds for the Transbaikalian mountaineer will be 5 centners/ha, the eastern sverbig - 20 centners/ha, the sylphia with pierced leaves -2 centners/ha, the chickpea astragalus -0.5 centners/ha.

Project objective: cultivation, harvesting of seeds from the second year of crop life.