Restoration of degraded mountain pastures of the Central Caucasus by targeted sowing of seeds of perennial grasses

Abstract

The unsystematic use of mountain pastures with overgrazing of grasses has led to a change in the ecological balance of agrolandscapes, in which 80-85% of the Central Caucasus lands have turned into a state of varying degrees of degradation. In these cases, an important measure in the restoration of degraded mountain forage lands is the sowing of perennial grasses into sparse grass and on bare soil, which increases stiffness. Therefore, the development and creation of a seeder for targeted seeding of grass mixtures in solving the problem is relevant. The authors of the article have developed a new resource-saving way to improve mountain forage lands using a modernized seeder. Tests and studies were carried out at a mountain hospital, located on the southeastern exposition of the Dargavs depression of the North Ossetia-Alania, at an altitude of 1650 m above sea level. It was found that at a concentration of 17.2 MJ of energy in 1 kg of dry matter of feed, the total collection in the control plot was 29.7 GJ, and in the seeded experimental field 85.3 GJ. At the same time, the formation of a dense sod with the accumulation of 104.2 c/ha of root mass is the main factor in the environmental sustainability of mountain agrolandscapes, ensuring environmental safety.