KRIVICH

Galega orientalis Lam. 'Krivich' is a winter-hardy and drought-tolerant plant that thrives well in temperate climates. The plant height reaches 155–170 cm, and the moderately stiff stems are slightly hairy. The leaves are egg-shaped and bright green, indicating high photosynthetic activity.

The vegetation period lasts from the beginning of spring regrowth to the first cut – 37–40 days, while full seed maturity takes about 110 days. The bushes form an upright raceme 20–35 cm long with an inflorescence resembling a mouse-tail raceme, colored in blue-violet tones. The pods are linear, dark brown, 2–4 cm long, and contain up to six seeds. The mass of 1000 seeds is approximately 7.7 g, and the percentage of hard seeds reaches 35%. Protein content in the fodder mass is about 19.8%, making the plant a valuable source of protein for livestock.

Yield is characterized as average: dry matter – 124–135 c/ha, green mass – 576 c/ha. Seed yield is at the level of 5.0–6.2 c/ha. When the sowing rate decreases, the number of shoots does not decrease, and with the age of the grasslands, their number increases to 122 pcs./m² by the third year. Participation of galega in mown grasslands is high: from 63% to 95%, and the total collection of dry matter over two cuts reaches 12.5 t/ha by the third year of use.

Thus, 'Krivich' combines resistance to unfavorable climatic conditions, high productivity, and rich protein composition, making it an excellent choice for fodder systems with mown grasslands.