AGRICULTURAL BIOLOGY, 2016, V. 51, ¹ 2, pp. 194-203 ISSN 2412-0324 (English ed. Online) (SEL’SKOKHOZYAISTVENNAYA BIOLOGIYA) ISSN 0131-6397 (Russian ed. Print) ISSN 2313-4836 (Russian ed. Online) Fodder, feeds and feed additives doi: 10.15389/agrobiology.2016.2.194rus doi: 10.15389/agrobiology.2016.2.194eng AGROBIOLOGICAL BASES OF VETCH ( V.N. ZOLOTAREV Federal Agency of Scientific Organizations, korp. 3, Nauchnyi gorodok, Lobnya, Moskow Province, 141055 Russia, e-mail vladimir.zolotarew@yandex.ru, z.v.61@mail.ru Abstract Common vetch ( L.) is widely cultivated in the Russian regions with different climate and edaphic conditions, whereupon a significant plant polymorphism and specific adaptation to environment and cultivation technologies are observed. <...> Recently, a new breeding approach is being developed to created vetch varieties for grain forage use. <...> Since 2002, a new such variety, the Lugovskaya 98, is recorded in the State Register of Selection Achievements of the Russian Federation. <...> This variety differs significantly from those cultivated for green fodder. <...> Particularly, there is no hydrocyanic acid which is the main anti-nutrienent, and the level of trypsin inhibitors is reduced allowing the seeds of Lugovskaya 98 vetch to be used as protein source in animal feeds with no extra processing. <...> In vetch pure stands a significant lodging occurs due to peculiar architectonics and biological peculiarities of plant growth under temperate climate. <...> A complementary support crop and its stand density must be selected specifically in accordance with local soil and climatic conditions. <...> We compared vetch Lugovskaya 98 seed yield formation in binary agrocenoses with different crops under stand density gradients and found those mostly complementary to vetch with regard to seed yield and quality. <...> Plant allelopathic interactions were shown to begin during early ontogenesis. <...> At high sowing rate of oats ( the vetch plant death increased up to 7-9 % compared to 3-4 % in the vetch pure stands. <...> Vetch young growth was also 6 to 7 % suppressed in the mixes with white mustard ( L.). <...> In contrary, had no effect on vetch young growth and juvenile plants. <...> As sowing rates of a support crop increased, the bean number reduced by 7-12 %. <...> The highest vetch seed biological yield (283.6 <...>