Testing of Forage Crops Resistant to Abiotic Factors in the Aral Sea Region with a Harsh Ecological Environment

Abstract

As a result of the decrease in water in the Aral Sea, deserts covering millions of hectares have formed. Currently, more than half of the irrigated lands in Uzbekistan are saline to varying degrees. In addition, the republic is facing increasing problems such as water scarcity and anomalous summer heat year after year. Naturally, in water-scarce and saline lands, the possibilities of obtaining high yields from agricultural crops, including fodder crops, are diminishing. One of the important tasks for agriculture is to develop agrotechnology for growing varieties of fodder crops suitable for livestock, such as alfalfa, white sorghum, fodder beet, and rye, adapted to local soil and climatic conditions in the Aral Sea region. For this reason, the Kibray variety of alfalfa and the Shalola variety of rye, developed at our institute, were sown using various methods on the dried bottom of the Aral Sea and in the surrounding areas. In addition, several local and foreign varieties and samples of suitable crops were sown and studied to select crops resistant to abiotic factors appropriate for the region.

This article presents the data obtained from work carried out in experimental nurseries planted using different methods on the dried bottom of the Aral Sea and in the surrounding areas.