The yield of Hungarian sainfoin (Onobrychis are-naria L.) in the Right-Bank Steppe of Ukraine

The results of scientific research conducted in 2017–2019 by the Institute of Agriculture of the Steppe NAAS in the nursery of competitive variety trial under the selection and seed crop rotation with 12 breeding numbers of Hungarian sainfoin are presented. All these samples were analyzed for fresh mass yield, seed yield and dry matter content. It was found that a cultivar No. 12 (breeding material of Kostiantyn variety) provided a stable significant increase at 3.2–12.4 t/ha, or 28.3–23.8 % compared to the Smarahd standard variety during three years study. On average, over the years of research, the dry matter yield of this selection number was maximal. The increase to the indicator of the Smarahd standard variety was 1.31 t/ha, or 12.00 %. The Hungarian sainfoin spread depends largely on the development of new more productive varieties with high quality and at the same time well adapted to different growing conditions. Proper selection of varieties is extremely important to solve the problem of increase in the yield and Hungarian sainfoin resistance to adverse environmental conditions. The research results revealed that seed productivity of cultivar No. 12 (breeding material of Kostiantyn variety) in the competitive variety trial was significantly higher, and the seed yield exceeded the standard variety by 0.31 t/ha, or 26.3 %. According to the research results of competitive variety trial on fodder and seed productivity of selection numbers, which were sown in 2017, it was selected the cultivar No. 12 (breeding material of Kostiantyn variety), which was characterized by high yields of fresh mass and seeds, and increased indicator of dry matter yield. Keywords: sainfoin, selection numbers, cultivar, competitive variety trail, yield, dry matter yield, seeds.