Productivity and quality of biomass of self-sown and reseeded legume species in burnt grass stands
Galina Naydenova
, Tatyana Bozhanska
Abstract: Fire is a significant ecological factor, negatively affecting the mechanical composition, organic matter and water regime of the soil, which in turn determine the productivity, quality and ecological function of grass stands. Because of their symbiotic nitrogen fixation, root structure and macromineral content, legume grasses perform a significant ecological function in the restoration of burnt areas.
The present study aimed to determine the productivity and qualitative parameters of the biomass of reseeded and self-sown legume grasses in burnt grass stands in relation to their potential role in the restoration of meadow and forest ecosystems. In the autumn of 2020, direct reseeding of a burnt semi-natural grass stand was conducted, in a hilly area in the Central Northern Bulgaria, with the following types and genotypes of legume grasses: Vicia sativa (Vitan cultivar); Melilotus albus (Adela cultivar) and Trifolium pratense (Nika 11 cultivar). In the first vegetation after the fire (2021), the types of reseeded and self-regenerating legume grasses, their productivity (fresh and dry biomass) and the main chemical composition were determined. According to the results, the highest amount of biomass with a high content of crude protein, crude fiber and the macronutrients N, P and Ca was formed by the reseeded species, such as Melilotus albus, as well as by the self-regenerating rhizome species Coronilla varia. According to the monitored qualitative indicators, populations of self-sown species, such as Bituminaria bituminosa and Vicia grandiflora have potential value as adapted genotypes suitable for regenerative reseeding of burnt grass stands. There is a high self-recovery capacity of the grass stands located in the hilly regions of the Northern Bulgaria, assessed by the productivity and biomass quality of the local legume grasses in the post-fire succession.
Keywords: chemical composition of grass vegetation; fires; yield
Citation: Naydenova, G. & Bozhanska, T. (2025). Productivity and quality of biomass of self-sown and reseeded legume species in burnt grass stands. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 31(2), 349–354.
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| Date published: 2025-04-28
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