CARABIKHA

CARABIKHA is a dwarf, loosely tufted, perennial grass developed at the Penza Institute of Agricultural Sciences. The plant has an upright, lodging-resistant growth habit, reaching a height of 70–80 cm with up to 25–34 stems per plant, ensuring strong tufting. Leaves are linear, light green, 15–23 cm long, 0.5–0.8 cm wide, medium softness, hairless. The ligule is membranous and sharp. The inflorescence is cylindrical, grayish, 8–12 cm long, dense, and awnless. Spikelets are elongated, greenish-yellow, one-flowered; seeds are light gray, oval-rounded, 0.8–1.2 mm in size.

The variety is characterized by relatively late maturity: from spring regrowth to the first cut – 43–48 days, subsequent cuts – 32–35, 34–38, and 28–34 days, with final seed maturity taking 98–112 days. Yield of green mass on irrigated meadows with N240 application over four cuts is about 44 t/ha, dry matter – 8.0 t/ha, and seeds – 0.5 t/ha. The mass of 1000 seeds ranges from 0.5 to 0.6 g.

CARABIKHA possesses good winter hardiness and resistance to prolonged flooding by meltwater (30–35 days). However, the variety lacks drought tolerance. It is weakly affected by rust and helminthosporium, and is resistant to pest damage. Crude protein content in dry forage matter is 15–16%, and fiber content is no more than 25–28%. Thanks to these characteristics, the variety is well grazed by all types of livestock and has high technological efficiency in feed production.

CARABIKHA is recommended for establishing on floodplain meadows, improving natural hay meadows and pastures. The variety is suitable for cultivation under moderately demanding soil conditions; the optimal sowing method is early spring, with row spacing of 30 cm and a sowing density of about 16 million viable seeds per hectare (8 kg/ha).