Vegas

The "Vegas" variety is a mid-late esparcet, developed by the Institute of Agriculture of the Steppe of the NAS of Ukraine through multiple selections from the best biotypes of the Kirovohrad 83 variety. It is characterized by a semi-erect plant with a height of 90–110 cm, medium bushiness, and a number of stems per plant ranging from 3 to 8. The leaves are compound, odd-pinnate, and the inflorescence is a medium raceme of cylindrical shape with 3–9 pink flowers. The pods are light brown in color and have small thorns along the dorsal suture.

Vegas is noted for its high resistance to drought, winter conditions, and low disease levels. This makes it extremely useful both as a fodder and nectar-producing plant: protein 20–21%, leafiness 55–56%. In crop rotations, it serves as an effective green manure, increasing the soil nitrogen balance (up to 120 kg/hectare) and enriching it with organic matter. After two years of cultivation, a significant amount of nitrogen and phosphorus remains in the soil, which contributes to increasing the yield of subsequent crops.

For successful growing of Vegas, the soil should be carefully prepared: cultivated, cleaned of weeds, and treated with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers if necessary. Acid soils should be limed before sowing. Seeds are prepared with preparations "Fundazol" or "Rizotorfin", and sowing is carried out in rows at a depth of 2–3 cm in heavy soils and 3–4 cm in medium and light soils. The sowing rate is 90–100 kg/hectare (approximately 100 g per hundred square meters). After sowing, the soil is tightly covered, and insecticidal formulations can be used for pest prevention. Vegas resists weeds well in the second and third years of life, but requires field cleanliness during the first sowing.