One of the most useful perennials in agriculture is the boneless bonfire - grass, which is indispensable as livestock feed, and also enriches the soil with nitrogen, producing it from the carbon dioxide consumed by the plant from the air.
Description
The bonfireless bonfire is a horse rhizome grass, the height of which can reach one and a half meters. The stem is smooth, densely leafy with a large number of elongated shoots. Leaves are flat, from 4 to 10 mm wide, dark green. In cold weather, their color fades. An inflorescence in the form of a panicle, the length of which is 15-20 cm, consists of large spikelets ranging in size from 12 to 30 mm. The lower floral scales of violet color have a wide filmy edge. The top of the weevil and ovaries are covered with dense pubescence. The flowering period is short, depending on the weather and lasts a maximum of 2 weeks. Watching this grass in windy weather, you can see how, when tilted in different directions, panicles shine with red light, which is very similar to a flame.
The root system of the plant is quite powerful and reaches two meters in depth. Thanks to this rhizome, the boneless bonfire is able to tolerate any drought, giving high yields of hay even in regions where the amount of precipitation is minimal. It is also resistant to prolonged flooding.
Places of distribution
Most often, this plant can be found in Europe, Asia Minor. In Russia, it grows almost everywhere, with the exception of the Arctic and some regions of the Far East. Mostly grows along the banks of rivers, ponds, in meadows and sparse forests, forming clean thickets. The bonfire is poorly tolerated by the proximity of plants such as meadow tea, oriental overbig, bluegrass and some other cereals. Its growth is positively influenced by sowing in grass mixtures with alfalfa.
Growing conditions
Boneless bonfire - the grass is quite unpretentious. It grows in places well lit by the sun. Soil prefers sufficiently nutrient rich, well-drained. It grows best on loam, sandy loam and drained peatlands. Unsuitable are saline soils. On them, the boneless bonfire is quickly replaced by wheat grass. Of great importance for this plant is the water permeability of the soil, on dense clays it grows rather poorly. Negatively affects the growth of grass and the proximity of groundwater. In favorable conditions, the period of economic use can be up to 20 years, in dry places it is very small and rarely exceeds 6 years.
Although the boneless bonfire is a drought-resistant grass, at a temperature above 38 ⁰, its considerable burnout occurs. However, dry winds are tolerated by this plant much better than other cereals. At the beginning of growth, high-stem crops can inhibit the fire, but gradually, growing, it begins to displace many plants, waging a successful fight against weeds.
Breeding
This crop renews the population with the help of seeds and vegetatively. The first option in vivo is of the least importance. Despite the fact that grass seeds are formed in a sufficiently large amount (up to 18 thousand per 1 m²), only a small part of them grows, and only a few reach their adult state.
The possibility of vegetative propagation occurs only in the fourth year of plant life. The space occupied by the expanding root system is gradually increasing. From fresh shoots formed by young roots, new plants form. Thanks to this method of reproduction, the boneless bonfire is a very hardy grass and adapted to various adverse conditions.
Landing and care
On agricultural land, the sowing of this plant is carried out after sunflower, corn, and potatoes. This is best done in the fall, although it can be sown in spring and summer. With continuous sowing in rows, the sowing rate is up to 7 million seeds (about 25 kg per 1 hectare). On fertile soil, the amount can be slightly reduced to 5 million, and on unfavorable for growth - increased by 1-2 million.
Grass seeds are very light, and sowing them is difficult. This task is facilitated by the addition of granular superphosphate to them at the rate of 50 kg per 1 hectare. Seeding depth is from 4 to 5 cm. After sowing, the moistened soil is slightly rolled up.
Of great importance for the crop is not only how to sow the grass, but also how properly fed. To enhance the growth of the vegetative mass, nitrogen fertilizers are of great help, which are applied annually, in the spring, at 50 kg per hectare.
In the first year of plant life, weed control is required. They are mowed down 2 or 3 times during the summer. After 2 years, it is possible to process with heavy harrows, and for the fourth - with a disk cultivator.
Using
A boneless bonfire is a valuable pasture and haying plant, capable of producing a very high yield. Even in arid and unfavorable areas, it can be up to 50 centners per hectare. Both green grass and hay, which contain nitrogen-free extractive substances up to 47%, fiber - 21%, protein - 19%, protein - 16%, 9% ash and 3% fat, have very high nutritional value. This plant is readily eaten by animals. It is used both as feed for livestock, and for fixing soil in areas subject to flushing, for fixing the slopes of ravines.
The boneless bonfire is a good precursor for crops, able to restore the fertile soil layer. He copes with weeds, suppressing them already in the second year of his life.
It is recommended to use a boneless campfire in a pasture, subject to certain techniques. Crops need to be etched only not earlier than three years of age, when the turf is quite dense. Up to three cycles are carried out, while the aerial part is alienated no less than 6 cm. Grazing in pastures occupied by this crop is not allowed in autumn. This can lead to the fact that nutrients do not have time to accumulate, as a result, shoots are not formed, which the next year leads to a decrease in the yield of both fodder mass and seeds.
Due to the large number of useful properties, boneless bonfire is very widely used in agriculture. The price of seeds of this plant is low and averages 110–120 rubles per 1 kg.