Rumex K-1

A Highly Productive

Fodder Crop as an Efficient Agrotechnology to Combat

Desertification and Ensure Survival of Rural Population in Climate

Change

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Issues of Fodder ProductionIssues of fodder production for cattle are burning in CA and other

countries due to soil, pastures degradation and climate change.

Issues:•Growing desertification, soil lack and degradation for fodder

cultures, irrational soil use;•Lack of fodder and low quality brings to decrease ion cattle-

breeding and growing poverty of rural population;•Weak utilization of perennial fodder crops in crop rotation;•Lack of specialized equipment which brings to loss of 25-30% of

crops and almost half of its fodder value;•Opportunities for organic farming are not used to the fullest;•Inefficiency of subsidies, enhancing rational soil cultivation.

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History of the Crop DevelopmentIn 1984, a perennial culture Rumex K-1 was cultivated in the

National Botanical Garden after N.Grishko of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukraine, based on Tien-Shan sorrel and English spinach.

Since 1996, it has been cultivated in regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Siberia for cold and dry climate (KazNII for soil cultivation, Food Institute, Institute of Physiology of Human and Animal, Institute of Botany and Phytoproduce, KazNII of Food Industry, KazGAU after Seifullin).

On 09.04.1999, the Executive Committee of the Interstate Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Uzbekistan recommended Rumex K-1 for Central Asian countries.

Letter of 15.06.1999 form the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan to heads of oblasts and farmers on the need to develop a sustainable fodder basis, based on Rumex K-1.

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Benefits and Outcomes

•It rehabilitates soil, recovering them for agricultural cultivation.•Desalinates saline soils.•Tackles deficit of fodder, especially under pastures degradation and

drought, does not require water.•Good for risk farming areas.•Allows poor rural communities to survive.•A huge market of feed-stuff and bioadditives.•Cost-efficiency exceeds 300% (KazNII of Economy of

Agroindustrial Complex, 1999). •High demand for seeds of Kazakhstan Rumex K-1. (Canada, USA, Korea, China, Israel, Denmark, etc.).•Perennial plants (at least 15 years).•Removes all weeds (successful experiments in Chui valley).

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Benefits and Outcomes

•Allows reinforcing slopes to prevent slides, deforestation and increasing moisture content (Rumex mountain breed developed in Kyrgyzstan)•Yield compared to other known fodder is higher on average 6-7-fold

– up to 300 tons/ha•Cost price is 10-12-fold lower than traditional fodder and improved

fodder quality

•Contains a full set of amino acids, including polyunsaturated fatty acids.•Protein contents is 40%, fat – 5% •6-7-fold smaller areas for cultivation.•Daily growth of sprouts makes 2-3 cm.•Granulated feed-compounds oxidize less, do not lose their value

unlike regular hay.

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Rumex

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Sheep weighing 130kg.

Rumex under snow 26 April 1996

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According to experiments, feeding cattle with fodder along with packed Rumex K-1 allows increasing the cattle weight by 6-10% and reduce consumption of feed-stuff at least by 6%.

•Winter resistance (developed in Kemerovo, Omsk and Novosibirsk oblasts, Udmurtia and Chechnya, North Korea)

•Early sprouts in spring; sustainable yield and resistance to diseases;

•Energetic value of granules ranges from 324 to 328 Kcal/kg;

•Fodder is good for all animals, including fish;

•Non-toxic, toxic elements are not transferred from the soil (conclusion of Siberia Cattle-Breeding NII);

•Reduces cattle diseases and leads to weight gain

•Annual weight gain of 2-month calves made 1 kg., which is 2.5-foild more than that from traditional fodder.

•Pigs stop having diarrhea, and gain over 800 gr. per night.

•Milk yield increase by 1 litre, fat content – by 0,9%, density (protein) – by 3%.

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Other Advantages:

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•Good for risk farming areas;

•Timing of technological cultivation operations does not coincide with major field operations;

Soil-reinforcing ability due to roots is 1.5-2.0m.

Soil desalination – the plant can desalinize soils. Plants produce 300-375 kg. of saline per one hectare on a daily basis.

After fields re-cultivation after Rumex K-1, the soil keeps a significant amount of organic residues.

The plant is a good predecessor for grains and beans.

Benefits and Outcomes

Fields of Application

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Food and medical industries: over 30 recipes have been developed and patented, including juice, bioadditives; the Food Institute has identified a high efficiency of Rumex K-1 salad to treat anemia, diabetes, improve potency, etc.

1 ton of green mass produces 100 litres of natural juice, 105 litres of concentrated juice and 206 kg. of feed-stuff as well as fodder for pond fishing farms.

Production of environmentally friendly hardening agents for currying.

In Food and Medical Industry

Example: Sauvit natural bioadditive as an additional source of energy.

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Phytofuel from Rumex K-1

Obstacles:

• Government support is required.

• Complicated procedures in Certification Regulations for producers or original and elite seeds, seeds traders (Decree of the Government # 1393 of 30.11.2012) – 5 years is required!

• Financing through second-tier banks are not beneficial because of high interest rates and strict requirements.

• Training is required (deficit of qualified staff).

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In Czech, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Germany, it is used mainly as an energetic plant due to its high acidity. It is registered in the European Union 2005/0758 and recommended as a fodder and a phytofuel (3900–4500 Kcal/cubic metre):

• Cost price of production of 1 ton of phytofuel is €15–17 (Ukraine);

• High yield of an absolutely dry mass (up to 20 tons/ha);

• Wholesale prices for fuel bricks range from €100 to €150 a ton (2007);

•Rates of price growth for fuel bricks and granules ranges from 10% to 15% a year (source: www.dengi-v-biznes.ru/proekt-rumex);

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Rumex OK-2 as a Phytofuel in Europe

Actions required:• International certification.• Crop zoning in in climate areas of countries concerned.• Project introduction into international projects (FAO, International

Foundation for Agricultural Development, Comprehensive Framework Programme of Actions of the high-rank Target Group for Global Food Security, Aquila Initiative and others).

• Project introduction into national agricultural programmes, including the Programme for Distant-pasture Cattle Tending and Fodder Production of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

• To establish seed-producing farms in cooperation with other stakeholders. To provide seeds to poor farmers as give and take raw materials, ensuring seeds return in 2-3 years time.

• To develop new mechanisms of state and private partnerships to ensure long-term investments into overall industry development (including tax returns to budgets from sales).

• To establish a specialized international agrotechnopark and Farmers Trainign Centre. To develop training video materials.

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Actions required:• Kazakhstan to join UPOV International Union to improve transfer of

selected plants.• To distribute special seeding machines for Rumex K-1 and sorrel-

spinach seeds (produced in Ukraine and Germany). • Legal support to transfer to granulated feed-stuff with bioadditives .• Kazakhstan to transfer to modern ways to identify nutritive value of

fodder, related to metabolizable energy and microjoules, emphasizing juicy vitaminized feed-stuff, and to gradually exclude harsh fodder with low metabolizable energy.• To apply new technologies of seeds activation to improve seeds quality

and reduce zoning times.

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Thank you!

E-mail: d_abzal59@mail.ru