Molochnokhozyaistvenny Vestnik

In the experiments the mineral composition of narrow-leaved fireweed was studied in different phases of its growing season in the conditions of the NorthWestern region of Russia in the Vologda region. It was experimentally established that narrow-leaved fireweed is a promising forage plant in the North-Western zone of Russia. It can meet the needs of lactating cows in macro-and microelements, except sodium, zinc, copper and cobalt. Taking into account the fact that there is a lack of phosphorus in the plant feeds of the Vologda region, using narrow-leaved fireweed for feed will to some extent compensate for its lack in the dairy cattle diet. The dynamics of the mineral content in the plants of narrow-leaved fireweed in dry matter is: the growth of the stem – macroelements; calcium – 7.53 g/kg, phosphorus – 7.36, magnesium –3.42, sodium – 0.17, potassium – 20.8 g/kg. Microelements: zinc – 47.5 mg/kg, copper – 5.39, cobalt – 0.25, iron – 129 mg/kg of dry matter of the plant. It is established that the chemical composition of fireweed changes in the process of development and growth. Therefore, when feeding the green mass to cattle, as well as when harvesting raw materials from it for the production of various feeds (hay, haylage, silage, grass meal), it is necessary to take into account the optimal content of macro- and microelements in its plants, which will allow to better balance the rations of cattle in mineral nutrition and get higher productivity from animals.

Silage-making is a simple and reliable way to preserve the green fodder mass in a succulent state. The article regards the options for silage-making of fodder galega with the addition of French willow (rosebay willow-herb) in various ratios. The quality indicators of the finished feed have been determined. It has been revealed that the pH of all silage variants does not reach the biological limit values for the development of lactic acid bacteria (3.0 - 4.2). Nevertheless, silage variants with a French willow fraction from 15% and more have had a proportion of lactic acid from 77% to 86% in the organic acids composition in feed. The silages have generally had good indicators. Feeds with a mass fraction of French willow 15% and 25% have had 9.8 and 9.2 MJ / kg of dry matter, respectively. And silages with a proportion of French willow of 30% and more have contained more than 10 MJ / kg of dry matter in their composition. The minimum addition of French willow to the silage to meet the requirements of GOST R 55986–2014 has been 30%.

The experiments studied the influence of the vegetation phase of eastern galega (Galega orientalis Lam.) plants in the conditions of the North-Western region of Russia on the characteristics of the nutritional properties of the feed prepared from it. It was established that eastern galega should be harvested in the North-Western region for grass flour and pellets in the stalk phase. For the preparation of other types of feed (hay, haylage, silage) it should be harvested in the budding phase - the beginning of flowering, which will allow to get high-quality and nutritious feed for livestock.

The authors investigated the ability of narrow-leaved fireweed

(Сhamaenerion angustifolium or Ivan-chai) to grow together with maral root

(Rhaponticum Carthamoides) (Willd.) Iljin. in the Northern part of the non-chernozem

soil zone of Russia. Both plants were found to start grow immediately after melting

of snow cover. The phenological flowering period of the maral root occurs earlier than

that of the narrow-leaved fireweed. The experiment has revealed that in a mixture of

grasses, narrow-leaved firewood is being suppressed. In the third year of life there is

a thinning of the stalk of Ivan chai due to a drop in the shoot-producing capacity of its

roots. During the period of the experiment the productivity of the grass mixture was

lower, than in control version by 5 t/ha. In the control version, the metabolic energy

and raw protein collection were 11.2 GJ/ha and 179.3 kg/ha higher than in the grass

mixture. The maral root in the third year of growth develops a strong root system and

a leaf rosette, which results the unfavorable conditions for the narrow-leaved fireweed

(Сhamaenerion angustifolium) and it becomes obvious that it is displaced by the maral

root from the cenosis composition.