Kirovohradske 22

Kirovohradske 22 is a medium-maturing esparcet variety created by complex stepwise hybridization. It is distinguished by high drought and winter hardiness, as well as low susceptibility to diseases and pests. The plants are erect, with a height of 100–115 cm and foliage coverage of about 50%. Stems are of medium thickness, internodes are 7‑8 (up to 10), leaves are oval or lanceolate, the upper tier is light green and the lower one is dark green. The inflorescence has a long spikelet of spindle shape with pink flowers; pods are light brown, of medium size, and weakly armed with teeth.

Growing conditions: the variety is suitable for steppes and forest-steppe zones of Ukraine. The optimal sowing depth is 2–3 cm on heavy soils and 3–4 cm on medium and light soils. The sowing rate is 4.0–6.0 million/ha (50–70 kg/ha). On fertile soils after grain and root-crop predecessors, mineral fertilizers are not applied; on poor soils, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are used before plowing. The variety is well resistant to weeds in the second and third years of life, but requires field purity in the year of sowing.

Productivity characteristics: green mass yield – 31 t/ha (≈310 c/ha), air-dry matter – 7.09 t/ha (≈70.9 c/ha), seeds – 1.0–1.2 t/ha (up to 1.4 t/ha in the 2nd and 3rd years). Protein content in green mass varies between 16.8% and 17.5%. The variety is an effective nitrogen fixer, has a strong root system that penetrates to a depth of 3–6 m, and is able to absorb poorly soluble compounds of phosphorus and calcium. The esparcet flower is a honey plant: from one hectare, one can get from 90 to 120 kg of honey.

Kirovohradske 22 is a reliable feed and predecessor variety suitable for field, feed, and grain-feed crop rotations. Its high drought resistance, low fertilizer requirement, and high protein content make it a popular choice among farmers of the steppe Ukraine.