The influence of the vegetation cycle and the mixture (grasses and legumes) on the height of the plants on sown grasslands

The speed of growth, as well as the height of plants on sown lawns, are important from the point of view of the possibility of obtaining a larger number of swaths if the growth is faster, and obtaining a higher yield, if the plants are of a higher age, at the same crop density. Sown lawns, usually called grass-leguminous mixtures in practice, comprise different types of grasses and legumes. Depending on the variety, growing conditions, vegetation cycle and the like, in principle, the plants of the first vegetation cycle (first cutting) reach the highest height. Considering the mentioned facts, the proposed research aimed to analyse the influence of the vegetation cycle and the mixture on the height of grasses and legume plants in the plant community under different defoliation regimes. The three-year research results showed that the height of the plants at mowing depended on the species (mixture), year (age of plants and weather conditions) and vegetation cycle. In general, the plants of all species are the lowest in the year of sowing. In the second and third years, the plants of the first cut are the tallest, with almost all mowing regimes. However, the tallest plants in the first swath are in the flowering phase of the plants, where among the tested species, the tallest plants are orchard grass in all mixtures (average 91.99 cm), followed by Italian ryegrass (average 82.77 cm). The lowest plants are bird's foot trefoil (average 48.97 cm).