Timothy grass: how to remove it from the site. Timothy grass, characteristics of the plant and its use Meadow timothy grass

(Phleum pratense) is one of the most common types of bluegrass in field grass sowing. Grows mainly in more or less dry meadows from the tundra to subtropical zones in Europe, North Africa and Asia; in the mountains - up to the subalpine zone.
Description: about 20-30 species of this genus, meadow or steppe perennial plants or ephemeral annuals. There are more than 11 species of timothy in Russia. Timothy grass is used as an ornamental plant for creating lawns.

The topic is discussed on ours in the “Lawn Grass Seeds” category.

Characteristics of timothy grass

Perennial, loose-bush, high-mountain grass. The root system is fibrous, well developed and penetrates 100-120 cm into the subsoil. The stems are straight, hollow, cylindrical, often with bulbs at the base, with convex nodes, with 5-7 leaves on generative shoots and 7-15 leaves on vegetative shoots, up to 120-140 cm tall. The leaves are flat, harsh, drooping, jagged at the edges, rosette up to 30-35 cm long, 0.4-0.9 cm wide, stem leaves up to 15-18 cm long. The inflorescence is a plume, cylindrical, slightly cone-shaped, sometimes elongated-elliptical, rough, 5-12 cm long. Spikelets are single-flowered. The glumes are 2.5-3 mm long, along the keel with long, horizontally spaced cilia, at the apex with an obtuse-angled notch ending in long lateral awn-like points. The fruit is a grain, membranous, round-oval, light gray, brownish. Weight of 1000 grains is 0.4-0.8 g. Propagated by seeds and tillering shoots. Refers to plants of the spring-winter type of development. Normally bears fruit from the 2nd year of life. In spring it grows later than meadow foxtail, canary grass and. Earing usually occurs after 5-7 weeks, flowering after 8-10 weeks. and seed ripening in 12-15 weeks. (up to 18 weeks) after spring regrowth. The growing season is 85-130 days. Cross-wind-pollinated plant with obvious protogyny.

Peculiarities

Timothy grass is a long-day crop. It has good frost and winter hardiness. The beginning of the growing season in spring coincides with the date of transition of average daily temperatures through 5°C. The optimal air temperature during the formation of the vegetative mass and flowering is 18-19°C.
In each timothy bush (plant) there are three types of shoots: shortened vegetative shoots, essentially consisting of a bunch of leaves; elongated vegetative, having developed stems without inflorescences; generative, consisting of a stem and inflorescences. At the base of developed shoots there are thickenings resembling an onion. They serve as a reservoir for reserve nutrients. The number of shoots in a bush ranges from 6-280.
Tillering occurs in spring and summer-autumn. Each shoot dies after passing through the generative phase, that is, it lives, as a rule, one year, so with long-term use it is necessary to mow it below 4 cm. In this case, the remaining vegetative shoots (lower tier) grow well and form a full-fledged bush next year.
Timothy grass is a moisture-loving plant that does not require mineral nutrients. To produce 1 ton of hay, it removes from the soil: nitrogen - 13-14 kg, phosphorus - 6-8 kg, potassium - 19-20 kg. It consumes the bulk of minerals during the period when it enters the tube.

Relation to soils

It grows on different types of soils, including saline and moderately acidic, but it is better on fertile, normally moistened, sandy loam, loamy, clayey, as well as drained lowland peat bogs, in the more southern regions of the forest-steppe on meadow lands provided with moisture. Some forms of timothy grass tolerate flooding with melt water for a month. It responds well to liming the soil and to mineral and organic fertilizers, sometimes doubling yields or more. It grows poorly only in sandy, swampy and highly saline areas.
The main advantage of timothy grass is its high acid tolerance and the ability to grow on soils poor in mineral nutrients. Timothy grass produces satisfactory yields where other types of grass grow poorly.

Economic use

An excellent pasture and hay grain, well eaten by cattle, sheep, goats, and horses. Higher yields are obtained in grass mixtures with red clover, sometimes with other perennial grasses.
Used: for green feeding, grazing, hay, haylage, silage, grass meal, especially mixed with legumes, for grass cutting and briquettes. A good predecessor for grain crops and root crops. Used to consolidate eroded soils. The yield of green mass for feeding is up to 150-200 c/ha, for hay up to 400-500 c/ha, hay yield is from 25 to 130 c/ha. The average seed yield is 2.0-12.0 c/ha. As a traditional component of red clover, timothy is sown in all natural clover growing areas.
The protein content in the green mass of timothy in the heading phase is 12-14% on an absolutely dry basis, and the content in hay is 7-8%. Protein digestibility is the lowest (52%) compared to other bluegrass grasses. When cultivating

Syn: arzhanets, stick insects, ears of corn, oatmeal.

A herbaceous perennial plant with hollow stems and long pointed leaves - it forms turf. Timothy grass is not only widely used in agriculture as a fodder grass, but is also used in traditional medicine as an immunomodulatory, analgesic, and diuretic.

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In medicine

Timothy grass is not a pharmacopoeial plant of Russia, since scientific medicine does not use wild cereals due to serious differences in their composition. However, traditional healers use wild herbs to eliminate painful symptoms associated with muscle tension, for example. Wild cereals, including timothy, are used to increase the elasticity of vascular connective tissue and activate tissue metabolism. Timothy grass is used as part of many medicinal preparations.

Contraindications and side effects

Despite the beneficial properties of timothy, the flowering of the plant can cause an allergic reaction to pollen. Allergic disease - hay fever includes the following symptoms: acute inflammation of the mucous membranes of the eyes, respiratory tract, skin. With an allergy to timothy, the digestive, genitourinary, cardiovascular, and nervous systems are sometimes involved in the process. The disease is characterized by seasonality that repeats from year to year, and also coincides with the flowering of certain plants. The greatest antigenic activity is characteristic of wild (timothy, wheatgrass, meadow fescue, brome, foxtail) and cultivated cereals (corn, rye). Flowering of cereals begins in June and continues until the end of July.

In agriculture

Timothy grass (lat. Phleum pratense) and some other representatives of the genus are of great economic importance as important pasture plants that are used as feed for any farm livestock. Depending on the humidity and dryness of the summer, the grass produces about 1600-6400 kg of hay per hectare, on average - 3200 kg. For a higher yield, clover and other perennial grasses are sown along with timothy seeds.

In addition, timothy is used for draining peat bogs, as well as for landscaping lawns: the plant is bushy, does not form tussocks and forms a uniform green cover.

Classification

Timothy or Arzhanets (lat. Phleum) is a genus of annual or perennial herbaceous plants of the family Cereals (lat. Poaceae). About 18 species are known, among them 4 types of forage crops are common in Russia: Meadow Timothy (Latin: Phleum pratense), Steppe Timothy (Latin: Phleum phleoides), Alpine Timothy (Latin: Phleum alpinum) and Paniculate Timothy (Latin: Phleum paniculatum) .

Botanical description

Timothy or Arzhanets is a perennial herbaceous plant that forms dense or loose turf. The root system is fibrous, well developed, penetrates to a soil depth of up to 120 cm. The stems are hollow, erect, or geniculate at the lower internodes, single or several, reaching 1 m in height, with bulbs at the base. The leaves are flat, long, pointed, rough, 3-10 mm, with bare, non-swollen sheaths, dark green in color. The leaf blades have jagged edges.

The growing season of the plant begins in early spring. Timothy blooms at the end of spring - in summer with small flowers that form a small, dense, slightly cone-shaped, rough spike, the length of which varies from 5 to 12 cm. The spike-shaped dense panicles-inflorescences are called “sultan”, they are small, oblong, have a hard ciliated keel, continuing into the awn. The covering scales are awnless. The fruit is a filmy, round-oval grain of a grayish or brownish hue. There are up to 500 spikelets in one inflorescence; with good bushiness, the plant can produce up to 17,000 seeds. After flowering, timothy stems become coarser, so you need to mow the grass for hay earlier. Timothy seeds germinate quickly, and the plant forms turf that is resistant to trampling. It does not lose its color even under snow; the herbaceous plant has good frost resistance.

The typical representative of the Timofeyevka genus with the highest nutritional value is considered to be meadow Timofeyevka (lat. Phleum pratense), widespread everywhere, in particular in Russia and Ukraine. Other types of timothy are also known: Timofey / Arzhanets Boissier (Phleum boissieri), Timofey / Arzhanets prickly (Phleum echinatum), Timofey / Arzhanets Greek (Phleum graecum), Timofey / Arzhanets Mikel (Phleum michelii), etc.

Spreading

Species of the genus timothy are widespread almost everywhere in Europe and Asia, Africa, America and Australia. Timofey grows in forest-steppe and steppe zones, and is found in mountainous regions. This unpretentious plant can be found everywhere in Kazakhstan, Eastern and Western Siberia, and Crimea. Grows on poor soils with a small amount of mineral nutrition elements: moderately acidic, fertile, sandy loam, saline, clayey, drained lowland peat bogs. Timothy grass is moisture-loving, however, it does not tolerate very wet and sandy areas and can withstand harsh winters.

Regions of distribution on the map of Russia.

Procurement of raw materials

Wild cereals, in particular timothy grass, are mowed in the summer. After this, the hay is sifted repeatedly, freed from coarse parts, then from earth, dust and sand. Inflorescences and leaves of herbs, their seeds, small parts of stems are stored in a dry, well-ventilated area.

Chemical composition

Timothy grass contains up to 192 mg of ascorbic acid, about 5.6 mg of carotene, vitamins B1 and B2. The plant contains 12 organic acids, in particular chelidonic and p-coumaric acids. The pollen contains the active substance flavonoid dactylin; the fresh rhizome contains up to 13% phlein and tannins.

Pharmacological properties

Timothy grass contains many unique beneficial components (coumarins, tannins, flavonoids, etc.) that have a wide range of effects. Flavonoids help reduce capillary fragility, which has a beneficial effect on the condition of the cardiovascular system. Ascorbic acid successfully fights the causative agents of viral colds, and coumarins in timothy grass exhibit antimicrobial activity. The tannins of timothy grass normalize digestion, help stimulate the functions of the nervous system, and increase the body's performance.

Use in folk medicine

Traditional medicine has long used the stems and roots of timothy grass as an independent remedy and as part of complex mixtures for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. The roots of the herb have long been used as an analgesic against toothache, applied to the sore spot. All parts of the plant are used in Tibetan medicine.

Wild cereals are used in the form of herbal baths, wraps and so-called “herbal shirts”. Traditional healers of the Caucasus consider timothy to be a miraculous immunomodulatory and anti-fever remedy, therefore they are used in the treatment and prevention of viral colds. Rheumatic pain, arthritis, arthrosis, radiculitis, skin and age-related diseases are popularly treated using herbal baths made from timothy grass. Herbal lotions are effective for kidney and bladder dysfunction.

Timothy grass is a good teeth cleanser. When chewed, the herb turns into small, soft fibers of cellulose. In addition, the juice of the herbaceous plant has an alkaline reaction. Almost all grains have this cleansing property: rye, wheat, oats, bluegrass, wheatgrass, ryegrass, timothy, fescue, etc.

Historical reference

Timothy received its name according to the name of the botanist Timofey Ganzen, the scientist studied this plant. Grass began to be sown in Norway, England, and Scotland. Timothy seeds were brought to Russia later in the 18th century, from where the culture spread to European countries, Australia, and North America.

Literature

1. Gubanov I. A., Kiseleva K. V., Novikov V. S., Tikhomirov V. N. Meadow herbaceous plants. Biology and conservation: Handbook. - M.: Agropromizdat, 1990.

2. Dovban K.I. Green fertilizer in modern agriculture: questions of theory and practice. - Minsk: Belarus. the science. - 2009. - 404 p.

3. Sergeev P. A., Popov V. A. Clover and timothy in field crop rotations. - 1949. - 489 p.

4. Telyatyev V.V. Useful plants of Central Siberia. - Irkutsk: East Siberian Book Publishing House, 1985. - 384 p.

5. Flora of the South-East of the European part of the USSR / Ed. Fedchenko B. A. - Leningrad, 1928.

Timothy grass (Phleum pratense L.)- loose bushy late-ripening plant of spring-winter type of development. Winter-hardy, demanding of moisture, does not tolerate drought. Used to create cultivated hayfields and pastures. It is well eaten by cattle both in hay and during grazing. Recommended as a late-ripening link in the raw material conveyor system for the preparation of canned feed.

Synonyms. Arzhanets, ear of corn, stick insect, oatmeal.

Biology and morphology. 2n=14, 28. Perennial, loose-bush, upland grass. The root system is fibrous, well developed and penetrates 100-120 cm into the subsoil. The stems are straight, hollow, cylindrical, often with bulblets at the base, with convex nodes, with 5-7 leaves on generative ones and 7-15 leaves. on vegetative shoots, up to 120-140 cm tall. The leaves are flat, harsh, drooping, jagged at the edges, rosette up to 30-35 cm long, 0.4-0.9 cm wide, stem leaves up to 15-18 cm long.

Inflorescence. plume, cylindrical, slightly cone-shaped, sometimes elongated-elliptical, rough, 5-12 cm long. Spikelets are single-flowered. The glumes are 2.5-3 mm long, along the keel with long, horizontally spaced cilia, at the apex with an obtuse-angled notch ending in long lateral awn-like points.

Fetus. Caryopsis, membranous, round-oval, light gray, brownish. Weight of 1000 grains is 0.4-0.8 g. Propagated by seeds and tillering shoots. Refers to plants of the spring-winter type of development. Normally bears fruit from the 2nd year of life. In spring it grows later than meadow foxtail, canary grass and awnless brome. Earing usually occurs after 5-7 weeks, flowering after 8-10 weeks. and seed ripening in 12-15 weeks. (up to 18 weeks) after spring regrowth. The growing season is 85-130 days. Cross-wind-pollinated plant with obvious protogyny.

Spreading. It has been known in culture since the beginning of the 18th century. On the territory of the former USSR it is cultivated in 94 territorial units (in accordance with varietal zoning) on ​​relatively large areas in forest, forest-steppe, and mountain zones. 71 varieties have been zoned for pasture and hay use.

Ecology. Winter-hardy, cold-resistant, moisture-demanding cereal. It grows on different types of soils, including saline and moderately acidic, but it is better on fertile, normally moistened, sandy loam, loamy, clayey, as well as drained lowland peat bogs, in the more southern regions of the forest-steppe on meadow lands provided with moisture. Some forms of timothy grass tolerate flooding with melt water for a month. It responds well to liming the soil and to mineral and organic fertilizers, sometimes doubling yields or more.

Economic importance. An excellent pasture and hay grain, well eaten by cattle, sheep, goats, and horses. It produces higher yields in grass mixtures with red clover, and sometimes with other perennial grasses.

Used: for green feeding, grazing, hay, haylage, silage, grass meal, especially mixed with legumes, for grass cutting and briquettes. A good predecessor for grain crops and root crops. Used to consolidate eroded soils. The yield of green mass for feeding is up to 150-200 c/ha, for hay up to 400-500 c/ha, hay yield is from 25 to 130 c/ha. The average seed yield is 2.0-12.0 c/ha. As a traditional component of red clover, timothy is sown in all natural clover growing zones.

It is a good component in late-ripening forage grass mixtures in a pasture conveyor system together with meadow clover, creeping clover and meadow fescue. It is also used as an insurance, weakly competitive component in the composition of early ripening cereal pasture and mowing grass mixtures.

Seeds begin to germinate at a temperature of 1 - 2 °C. The beginning of the growing season in spring coincides with the date of transition of the average daily temperature through 5°C. The optimal growth and development temperature is 18 - 19 °C. Meadow timothy has great winter hardiness, grows well in all types of soil of any acidity, but does not tolerate prolonged drought and high temperatures. Timothy grass is widespread in the forest-steppe and non-chernozem zones. Grass mixtures of timothy and legumes leave a lot of organic matter in the soil, improve soil structure and are the best precursors for flax and grain crops.

Timothy varieties: Moskovskaya 5, Marusinskaya 297, Belorusskaya 1308, Leningradskaya 204, etc.

Agricultural technology of timothy grass. Timothy grass is sown under the cover of winter or spring grains. In the first case, it is sown together with a cover crop in the fall. For spring crops, timothy is sown in the spring. The best method is to sow in rows with grain-grass seeders, and for seeds - in wide rows. Tillage and fertilization are carried out taking into account the cover crop and predecessor. Typically, 20 - 30 tons of organic fertilizers, phosphorus and potassium are applied, 30 - 45 kg of active substance per 1 ha. Spring and post-harvesting fertilizing is also used.

Timothy seeding rate (per 1 ha): with wide-row sowing 4 - 6 kg, and with continuous row sowing 8 - 10 kg. 4 - 6 kg ha are sown in a mixture with clover. The seeding depth is 1 - 2 cm. The field is rolled before sowing. The best time to harvest a mixture of clover and timothy for hay is during the budding phases of the clover and the ejection of the timothy panicle. Seeds are obtained from grass stands of the second year of use.

It is a highly productive component in the composition of feed grass mixtures: Green Deer Agro “Combi”, “Protein+”, “Grazing” and “Haymaking”

Among the most common cereal crops growing in the area

In Russia, everyone has known from childhood a bushy grass, popularly called “arzhanets”, “seedling”, “sivukha” or “stick insect”. This is nothing more than a grass of the bluegrass family - meadow timothy.

Description of the plant

The stem of timothy grows in height from 25 centimeters to one and a half meters. It is cylindrical, hollow, erect, with rough to the touch, elongated, pointed at the ends leaf blades of green or gray-green color. creeping, with short rhizomes. Timothy grass, photographs of which are presented in the article, has an inflorescence in the shape of a complex spike (sultan), which is very similar to the inflorescence of foxtail, but more rigid. It lacks bristles, and the anthers, unlike the yellow anthers of the foxtail, are purple. Meadow timothy is cross-pollinated using the wind. At the base of the shoot, the plant has another distinctive feature - a thickening in the form of a bulb. Timothy meadow blooms in early summer. The seeds, having fallen off, quickly germinate again, forming a lush carpet underfoot that is resistant to trampling and retains its green color throughout the summer and even after the onset of winter cold.

origin of name

Timothy grass has become widespread throughout the non-chernozem territory of Russia. Its use as a seed crop in burnt areas is stated in documents dating from the late 17th to early 18th centuries. Peasants noted the unique features of this cereal plant, which does not require special care; easy harvesting of seeds stored for a long time in the inflorescence; love for timothy grass, which willingly eats not only fresh grass, but also hay stored for the winter. It is thanks to its agricultural properties that this cereal became widespread in other territories, and was also exported to another continent. According to one version, the enterprising American farmer Timofey Hanson took the seeds of this plant to America, where it also became widespread as a propagator. By promoting its distribution, he achieved commercial success and began to officially import the seeds into Europe. Thus, it returned to the territory of its original growth, but under a new name - Timothy grass, or meadow timothy grass, perpetuating the name of the American.

Planting and care

Timothy grass is a hay plant. It is durable and can grow in one place for up to 10 years. already at a temperature of 1-2 degrees Celsius, and at +5 the first sprouted shoots appear. Timothy grass does not tolerate drought - it can even survive flooding. Considering that this grass does not withstand shading well, it is better to plant it with plants whose active growth period is shorter. Thus, timothy gets along well with legumes and clover.