Pasture use of meadows in the Pripyat river floodplain

Eight meadow associations were studied in 2013–2015 determining yields of meadow ecosystems, their agrobotanical composition, ontogenetic structure, soil agrochemical composition and zootechnical analysis of grass fodder at hay use.

 Methods: floral, geobotanical, coenopopulational, agrochemical, zootechnical.

Soils under the studied meadow ecosystems were strongly acidic, with a low content of mobile phosphorus and potassium, and a high content of organic matter. The content of manganese was 2–10.

The highest productivity was stated in Phalaroidetum arundinacea and Caricetum gracilis, while the lowest in Agrоstietum tennuis and Agrostietum vinealis.

Fertilizers increaseв grassland productivity by 1,3 — 1,4 times. Distribution of green mass between the grazing cycles was as follows: I — 50%, II — 30%, III — 20%.

Cereals increased after biennial composition while sedge grasses decreased.

The studied associations had the similar development of the dominants species in populations. There are dominance among generative plants.

The fodder obtained meets the requirements of feeding farm animals by nutritional composition.