Methods of cultivating sainfoin in the arid conditions of the Northern Caspian region

The study presents the technological methods of growing sainfoin (Onobrychis) in the arid conditions of the Northern Caspian region. This crop is characterized by its undemanding nature and, at the same time, high forage value. Due to its long productive period, excellent forage qualities, ability to improve soil fertility and high adaptability, sainfoin remains a promising and popular crop in the forage production system, therefore the research is relevant for this region. The aim of the study was to introduce sainfoin, study its biological characteristics, forage value and adaptive potential, as well as technological methods of cultivation for use in phytomelioration of arid degraded pasture ecosystems of the Northern Caspian region. The object of the study is sainfoin growing in semi-desert and desert natural and climatic zones. The methodologies of A.I. Ivanov et al. (1985), B.A. Dospekhov (1985), G.V. Udovenko (1988), A.A. Kutuzova et al. (2015), and others were applied. Statistical processing of experimental data was performed using analysis of variance method according to the methodology of B.A. Dospekhov (2014) in Microsoft Excel. Based on three-year (2023-2025) research data under the soil and climatic conditions of the Northern Caspian region, it was established that the optimal cultivar among those studied for this region is sand sainfoin cv. Step, with fallow land as the preceding crop.