مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - Effects of elevation and some soil properties on the yield and quality of sainfoin(Onobrychis sativa Scop.) forage crop grown in Savsat district, Artvin

Abstract :

This study was conducted to investigate possible changes in plant height, fresh and dry hay yield and hayquality parameters of sainfoin (Onobrychis sativa Scop.) grown in Artvin province, depending on soilcharacteristics and altitude. The research was carried out on three different sainfoin plots located at threealtitudes (850, 1010 and 1475 m) with similar characteristics in Savsat district of Artvin Province. Firstly,the height of plants was measured by considering the growing time and flowering period of sainfoin.Moreover, the yields of fresh forage, hay and dry matter were estimated, and the plant samples taken fromthe same plots were analyzed for crude protein, crude ash, crude oil, NDF, ADF, and ADL. In addition, soilsamples were analyzed for pH, organic matter and lime contents, exchangeable cations of Na, K, Ca and Mg, available phosphorus content and total nitrogen. The results showed that the heights of the plants were similar for all sainfoin plots at all three altitudes including the highest plot located at 1475 m. Also, the fresh and dry hay yields of sainfoins varied depending on the altitude of the sainfoin growing locations, but it was found that the plot at 1475 m gave significantly low yield. In the current research, it was determined that pH, organic matter and total nitrogen contents of soils were significantly (p 0.01) varied between altitudes. Also, high correlations (p 0.01) were found between some soil characteristics and the amount of nutrient elements in plants. These results revealed that both soil characteristics and elevation are important factors on determining the parameters of hay quality for growing sainfoin plant.