A Small-Sized Unit for the Restoration of Mountain Grasslands

The paper demonstrates that preventing the degradation of mountain meadows and pastures, mitigating the decline in the productivity of mountain grass lands, and supporting their restoration require the application of mineral fertilizers. It also highlights the lack of small-sized machinery suitable for treating mountainous areas.(Research purpose) The aim of this research is to develop a small-sized laboratory prototype of a unit for applying mineral fertilizers on sloped mountainous terrain covered with natural grass stands on fallow forage lands.(Materials and methods) The proposed technology was substantiated, and a laboratory prototype of the unit was created. Technical evaluations and field tests of both the unit and the technology were conducted in the mountainous region of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania (Dargavs Basin). Additionally, a technical specification was compiled to support the development of the prototype.(Results and discussion) The research focused on the technology for applying granular fertilizers both to the surface and into slits across mountain slopes, as well as on determining the optimal application rates and methods when using a small-sized. As a result, a unit design incorporating pendulum-type sowing mechanisms was developed, and a small-sized laboratory prototype for surface application of mineral fertilizers was produced. The functional performance indicators of the unit were established. The laboratory prototype was confirmed to meet agrotechnical requirements and comply with the technical specification. Furthermore, it was found that using the unit increases labor productivity and enhances the productivity of mountain forage lands by 15–20 percents. (Conclusions) The use of a small-sized unit contributes to reducing degradation processes on sloped plots by accelerating the restoration of both the quality and quantity of perennial grasses on fallow forage lands. The yield of green biomass increased across various altitudinal zones and slope exposures as follows: by 20.58 tonnes per hectare in the meadow-steppe zone, by 9.53 tonnes per hectare in the subalpine zone, and by 5.73 tonnes per hectare in the alpine zone. The feasibility of further improving and applying the prototype on small-contour mountainous fallow areas with slopes of up to 13 degrees has been confirmed.

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