Improvement of the state of degraded pastures by mechanized sowing of shrubs and semibrubs
Authors: Farmonov Erkin , Berdimuratov Parakhat , Kuybakov Bakhadir , Mirzaeva Shakhnoza , Djumamuratov Dauran 
Published: October 2023

This article presents the extensive agricultural characteristics of fodder plants growing wild in nature, which are the most promising shrub and semi-shrub fodder plants for the creation and development of cultivated pastures in degraded karakul (sheep) pastures. Also, the fact that out of 17.5 million hectares of land allotted for karakul breeding in the desert and semi-desert zones of the Republic, which up to 40 percent are degraded to one degree or another, their average productivity has decreased by 21 percent. The authors of the article analyzed degraded pastures in desert and semi-desert zones of Uzbekistan and foreign countries and ways to improve their condition. A method is recommended for restoring degraded pastures by mechanizing the sowing of seeds of shrubs and semi-shrubs. Studies on the mechanization of sowing small-seeded and non-flowing seeds show that, firstly, the mechanized sowing of desert fodder plants is largely carried out on the basis of agrotechnical methods in conditions that do not correspond to the specific conditions of deserts, and secondly, shrub and semi-shrub plants and their seeds have physical and mechanical properties that are very different from other crops and seeds. A universal sowing unit is recommended, which consists of a four-sowing machine, which, in one pass of the technological process of work, sows seeds of shrubs and semi-shrub desert fodder plants with relatively close seed sizes. At the same time, the hoppers of the sowing unit are filled with 1, 2, 3 or 4 types of seeds of different plants and the seeds are sown. During the operation of the unit, the first hopper of the sowing machine is filled with shrub seeds (for example, saxaul) and the hoppers of the remaining 2, 3 and 4 sowing machines are filled with one or different types of seeds of semi-shrubby plants (Izen, keiruk, teresken), etc. The universal sowing machine sows seeds in one direction 3.6 m wide, and when returning, it also sows seeds 3.6 m wide, forming a pasture strip with a total width of 7.2 m. In the first row, it sows the seeds of a shrub plant (for example, saxaul seeds) and, in the remaining 2, 3, 4 rows - different types of seeds of semi-shrubs, for example, seeds of izen or seeds of other semi-shrubs, while on both edge rows of the pasture strip, he sows seeds of shrubs between them, sows seeds of semi-shrubs and creates a pasture-protective strip, consisting of shrubs and semi-shrubs. Simultaneous sowing of shrubs along the two edges of the strip provides for the protection of these undersized semi-shrubs from heat, strong wind and dust, as a result of which they develop better. The following parameters of the universal seeding unit were determined: the speed of movement of the unit is 1.38 -2.22 m/s; working width of the universal sowing unit 3.6 m; quantity of the sowing device 4 pieces; distance between sowing units 0.9 m; the number of seed mixture mixers in the lower part of the hopper is 6 pieces; lengths of cone-shaped fingers softeners of the seed mixture 7.0 cm; normalizing drum radius 5.0 cm; number of revolutions of the normalizing drum 26-30 r/min; length of the normalizing drum 7.0 cm; quantity of triangular chute 8 pieces.