Detailed Explanation of Key Points of Practical Forage Cultivation Techniques

1. Technical Introduction. Forage cultivation, like the cultivation of other crops, relies on good water and fertilizer conditions and scientific field and ditch management to ensure high yields. The following will introduce five aspects: land, seed, water, fertilizer, field and management.
2. Technical Operating Procedures
1. Land
(1) Site selection: The quality of site selection directly relates to the level of forage yield and the duration of utilization. Generally, farmland and dry land with good drainage and irrigation are selected, with loam and sandy loam being the best, and a pH value between 6.5-7.5.
(2) Land preparation: Whether farmland or dry land, planting grass must involve plowing, with a depth of 20-25 cm being appropriate. If there is standing water in the field, it should be drained, and the field should be sun-dried before plowing. After plowing, the land should be harrowed flat and broken up fine; this is one of the key measures for obtaining high yields. To facilitate field management and mowing, after harrowing, beds are made, generally 2 m wide, with no limit on length. A furrow should be opened between each bed surface, and drainage ditches should be opened around the field, which is conducive to drainage and drought resistance.
2. Seed
(1) Seed selection: Selecting suitable fine forage varieties is the basic condition for obtaining high forage yields. Currently, the quality of forage seeds on the market varies greatly. When buying grass seeds, one should choose seeds produced and sold by legitimate production units and sales departments. At present, the provincial Animal Husbandry Technology Promotion Station produces and promotes several varieties including "Ganxuan No. 1" ryegrass, dentate ixeris, cup plant, Mexican corn, and dwarf napiergrass. Each farmer should make selections according to different feeding targets.
(2) Sowing: Seeds from legitimate sales channels generally have undergone germination rate testing, and the sowing rate can be determined based on the germination rate provided. Some forage seeds need treatment before sowing. Seeds with hard seed coats should have the seed coat rubbed with sand, such as Chinese milk vetch and Mexican corn. Alternatively, soaking seeds in warm water at 50-60 for 10-20 minutes can increase the germination rate and reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases. When sowing, mix seeds with calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer and burnt soil ash.
The sowing period for forage is divided into spring sowing or autumn sowing. Temperature is the main factor determining the sowing period. A daily average temperature of 10-20 is suitable for sowing. In addition, the sowing period of seeds also needs to be determined according to the biological characteristics of the forage. The sowing period for spring-sown varieties is generally from mid-to-late March to early-to-mid April, and the sowing period for autumn-sown varieties is from mid-to-late October to early-to-mid November. Forage sowing methods can generally be divided into broadcast sowing and drill sowing. Generally, grazing land uses broadcast sowing because of its large area, while mowing land uses drill sowing to facilitate mowing and field management. Sowing depth that is too deep or too shallow is unsuitable. Generally speaking, because forage seeds are small, they should be sown shallowly. Leguminous forage should be sown 2-3 cm deep, and gramineous forage should be sown 3-4 cm deep. At the same time, the sowing depth should also be determined according to seed size and soil content. After sowing, cover with a shallow layer of soil, 0.5-1 cm thick. In addition, some forage varieties can be raised as seedlings and transplanted or dibbled, such as cup plant, ixeris, and Mexican corn.
3. Fertilizer. As the saying goes, "For crops to bloom beautifully, fertilizer is in charge." Sufficient fertilizer can promote good forage growth and increase fresh grass yield. Fertilizers are divided into organic fertilizers and chemical fertilizers. Organic fertilizers are mainly farmyard manure, and there is no strict limit on the amount used; chemical fertilizers are mainly based on the three elements nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and there are also compound fertilizers.
(1) Base fertilizer: Mainly farmyard manure, generally 2000-3000 kg per mu, determined according to soil fertility and the yield of the previous crop, applied during plowing before sowing. Its main role is to increase soil fertility and organic matter content and improve soil texture.
(2) Seed fertilizer: Applied into the sowing furrow at sowing or used for seed dressing, with seed dressing having a better effect. Chemical fertilizers are mainly used, and burnt soil ash can also be used. Generally, calcium magnesium phosphate and compound fertilizer are mainly used, and the amount can be appropriately increased for leguminous forage. Used for seed dressing, it not only allows seeds to absorb nutrients promptly after emergence, but also makes sowing more uniform.
(3) Topdressing: Used during the forage growth period, generally mainly chemical fertilizers, but decomposed organic fertilizer can also be used. Topdressing methods include surface broadcasting, drill application, band application, and root application. Organic fertilizer is generally applied in furrows after intertillage. Chemical fertilizers can be broadcast on the surface, and cultivated grassland adopts drill application.
The first topdressing should be carried out from forage emergence to before tillering, mainly with urea and compound fertilizer, to increase tillering. The second topdressing should be carried out from the jointing to booting stage of gramineous forage, and before the bud stage of leguminous forage, mainly with potassium chloride and urea, to promote forage vegetative growth and meet the needs of seed reproduction. Mowing grassland can be mowed at least 3-4 times each year, and topdressing must be applied after each mowing. When topdressing leguminous forage, potassium chloride and compound fertilizer are mainly used, which can increase grass yield.
4. Water. Our city has relatively abundant rainfall, so generally cultivated forage does not need irrigation. However, because the summer and autumn drought lasts a long time, it often affects forage sowing or causes no emergence for a long time after sowing. Where conditions permit, appropriate irrigation should be carried out. Methods include furrow irrigation, drip irrigation, and sprinkler irrigation. For field planting, running water should be used to avoid water accumulation, which can cause forage root rot and death. There is a lot of rain in spring, so attention should be paid to drainage.
5. Field management. Field management of grassland is carried out to eliminate unfavorable factors affecting forage growth and create good conditions for its growth and development.
(1) Breaking soil crust: After forage sowing, rain can cause soil crusting, affecting seed emergence. At this time, a short-toothed harrow can be used to hoe or harrow the soil, but care must be taken to prevent damage to seedlings. Light irrigation can also be used to break the crust.
(2) Intertillage and weeding: Forage is highly susceptible to weed infestation at the seedling stage, especially spring-sown varieties. Therefore, cultivated forage must be intertilled and weeded. There are two weeding methods. One is manual weeding: shallow cultivation when weeds are small, and deep hoeing when weeds are larger. Autumn-sown varieties may not need hoeing or may need less hoeing. The second is chemical weeding, and different herbicides must be selected for different weeds. For gramineous grassland, select broadleaf herbicides such as broadleaf herbicide, banvel, and bentazone to control broadleaf weeds; for leguminous and small-leaf forage grassland, herbicides such as haloxyfop and quizalofop-p-ethyl can be used to control gramineous weeds.
(3) Prevention and control of pests and diseases. Gramineous forage is prone to rust and smut, while leguminous forage is prone to leaf spot and downy mildew. Attention should be paid to removing weeds, eliminating sources of disease, and timely topdressing to improve forage disease resistance. Once diseases and pests such as armyworms and aphids occur, pesticides should be used for control, but forage cannot be utilized after spraying; it can only be utilized after the pesticide efficacy has passed.