SOME RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENT ON SCARIFICATION OF SEEDS OF FORAGE LEGUME (THE SAMPLE OF ALFALFA SEEDS)

If the hard seed (seed that is viable but has an impervious seed coat) content of legumes is greater than 20%, scarification should be considered. Scarification is the nicking of the seed coat to allow moisture to penetrate [1]. This type of seed treatment before sowing is of great importance, as it increases the yield of fodder plants by reducing the sowing rate of rare and expensive fodder seeds, reducing the cost of sowing, accelerating germination, and increasing the percentage of germination. This article reflects the results of a planned experiment to determine the effectiveness of scarification of a device for impacting alfalfa seeds, depending on factors such as seed impact speed, impact angle, and impact surface grit, presented a mathematical model of the relationship between these factors and determined their optimal values.