IMPROVING YIELD AND QUALITY IN SPRING-SOWN ALFALFA WITH ANNUAL COMPANION CROPS

Year 2020, Volume: 25 Issue: 2, 138 - 146, 07.12.2020

Ugur Basaran Erdem Gulumser Medine Copur Hanife Mut

https://doi.org/10.17557/tjfc.831941

Cited By: 2

Abstract

Under spring sowing condition, alfalfa (A) was intercropped with sorghum-sudangrass (SR), maize (M), soybean (S), cowpea (C) and buckwheat (B) as binary mixtures with three seed ratio (A:X%; 100:100, 100:80, 100:60%) and, results were compared to alone alfalfa. Removing companion crops from stand was different times based on their stages and decided mainly considering forage quality and animal consumption. The experiment was arranged as a randomized block design with three replications in Yozgat-Turkey. Data including yield, protein and mineral content were collected in the establishment (2014) and first production year (2015). Intercropping, particularly those containing maize and sorghum, caused significantly (p<0.05) higher hay and protein yield in both separate and combined years compared to alone seeded alfalfa. According to two-years results, total hay and protein yield of alone alfalfa determined as respectively 3294.92 kg da-1 and 793.04 kg da-1. In combined years, intercropped A with SR at 100:80% (4377.70 kg da-1), 100:60% (4249.14 kg da-1) and with M at 100:80% (4307.21 kg da-1) were the highest yielding treatments for hay. Similarly, protein yield was determined the highest in the treatments of 100A:80SR% (942.70 kg da-1) and 100A:80M% (949.09 kg da-1). So, maize and sorghum-sudangrass at 80% seed ratio was the best companion crops for alfalfa in the present conditions.

Keywords

Alfalfa, hay quality, hay yield, intercropping

References

• Ann Bybee-Finley, K. and M.R. Ryan. 2018. Advancing Intercropping Research and Practices in Industrialized. Agricultural Landscapes Agriculture 8(6): 1-24.
• Basaran, U., M. Copur Dogrusoz, E. Gulumser and H. Mut. 2017. Hay Yield and Quality of Intercropped Sorghum-Sudangrass Hybrid and Legumes With Different Seed Ratio. Turk J. Field Crops. 22(1): 47-53.
• Basaran, U., E. Gulumser, M. Dogrusoz and H. Mut. 2014. The effects of forage turnip (Brassica rapa L. var. rapa) as companion crop on alfalfa yield and quality. Options Méditerranéenne; France, pp. 119-122.
• Basaran, U., E. Gulumser, M. Copur Dogrusoz and H. Mut. 2018. Performance of Alfalfa Under Different Intercropping Treatments. Yuzuncu Yıl University Journal of Agricultural Sciences 28(3): 278-284.
• Capstaff, N.M. and A.J. Miller. 2018. Improving the Yield and Nutritional Quality of Forage Crops Front. Plant Science 9: 535. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00535.
• Chaichi, M.R., F. Daryaei and M. Aqaalikhani. 2007. Forage Production of Sorghum and Alfalfa in Sole and Intercropping Systems. Asian Journal of Plant Science 6: 833-838.
• Cinar, S., R. Hatipoglu, F.D. Gundel, A. Aktas and M. Avcı. 2014. Performances of Some Perennial Warm Season Grasses Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Mixtures Under Mediterranean Conditions, Turk Journal of Field Crops 19(2): 212-218.
• Cinar, S. and R. Hatipoglu, 2015. Quality Characteristics of The Mixtures of Some Warm Season Perennial Grasses With Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Under Irrigated Conditions Of Cukurova Turk Journal of Field Crops 20(1): 31-37.
• Coruh, I. and M. Tan. 2008. Lucerne persistence. yield and quality as influenced by stand aging. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 51: 39-43.
• Coruh, I. and M. Tan. 2016. The Effects of Seeding Time and Companion Crop on Yield of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and Weed Growth. Turkish Journal of Field Crops 2016, 21(2): 184-189. doi: 10.17557/tjfc.13692.
• Edwards, L. and Burney J. 2005. Cover Crops. In: Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment, 311-318 Sciencedirect, Columbia University, New York, USA.
• Fukai, S. and B.R. Trenbat. 1993. Processes determining intercrop productivity and yields of component crops.Field Crops Research 34: 247–271.
• Geonaga, R., T. Ayala and A. Quiles. 2013. Yield Performance of Cowpea Plant Introductions Grown in Calcareous Soils. Hort Technology 23(2): 247-251
• . Hassan Majidi Dizaj, H.M., D. Mazaheri, A. Mohammadzadeh and P.H. Hosseinzadeh. 2015. Forage Production and Population of Alfalfa Weevil (Hypera postica) in Intercropping of Alfalfa and Sainfoin. Journal of Crop Improvement 29(4): 455-464.
• Lima, P.L.T., M.L.N. Silva, N. Curi and J. Quinton. 2014. Soil Loss By Water Erosion in Areas Under Maize And Jack Beans Intercropped And Monocultures. Ciênc Agrotec 38: 129-139.
• Liu, J.H., Z.H, Zeng, L.X. Jiao, Y.G. Hu, Y. Wang and H. Li H, 2006. Intercropping of different silage maize cultivars and alfalfa. Advances in Agricultural Science 32: 125-130.
• Miller, D.A. and J.F. Stritzke. 1995. Forage establishment and weed management. In Forages Introduction to Grassland Agriculture, 89-104, Iowa State University Press, Ames. Iowa.
• Mosebi, P.E., A. Puleng, P.A. Matebesi-Ranthimo, M.P. Ntakatsane and R. Ratsele. 2018. Forage Potential of Alfalfa with Oats and Barley in Intercropping System. Asian Journal of Research in Agriculture and Forestry 1(4): 1-11.
• Mut, H., E. Gulumser, M. Copur Dogrusoz and U. Basaran. 2017. Forage yield and nutritive value of maize-legume mixtures. Range Management and Agroforestry 38(1): 76-81.
• Noorbakhshian, S. 2015. Effects of Mix Cropping of Alfalfa and Annual Ryegrass on Forage Production. Rangelands – Journal 5(2): 11-122.
• Rao, M.S., C.A. Rama Rao, K. Srinivas, G. Pratibha, S.M. Vidya Sekha, G. Sree Vani and B. Venkateswarlu. 2012. Intercropping for management of insect pests of castor, Ricinus communis, in the semi-arid tropics of India. Journal of Insect Science (Online), 12, 14. doi:10.1673/031.012.1401.
• Rohweder, D.A., R.F. Barnes and N. Jorgensen. 1978. Proposed hay grading standards based on laboratory analyses for evaluating quality. Journal of Animal Science 47: 747-759.
• Sheaffer, C.C., K.M. Martinson, D.L. Wyse and K.M. Moncada. 2014. Companion Crops for Organic Alfalfa Establishment. Agronomy Journal 106: 309-314.
• Sleugh B., K.J. Moore, J.R. George and E.C. Brummer. 2000. Binary legume-grass mixtures improve forage yield, quality, and seasonal distribution. Agronomy Journal 92: 24–29.
• Smith, R.G., L.W. Atwood and N.D. Warren. 2014. Increased productivity of a cover crop mixture is not associated with enhanced agroecosystem services. PloS one, 9(5), e97351. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0097351.
• Spring, P. and B. Switzerland. 2013. The challenge of cost effective poultry and animal nutrition: Optimizing existing and applying novel concepts. Lohmann Information 48(1): 38:46.
• Sun, B., Y. Gao, H. Yang, W. Zhang and Z. Li. 2019. Performance of alfalfa rather than maize stimulates system phosphorus uptake and overyielding of maize/alfalfa intercropping via changes in soil water balance and root morphology and distribution in a light chernozemic soil. Plant Soil. 439: 145-161.
• Suter, M., J. Connolly, J.A. Finn, R. Loges, L. Kirwan, M.T. Sebastià and A. Lüscher. 2015. Nitrogen yield advantage from grass–legume mixtures is robust over a wide range of legume proportions and environmental conditions. Global Change Biology 21: 2424–2438.
• Tan, M. and Y. Serin. 2004. Is the companion crop harmless to alfalfa establishment in the highlands of East Anatolia. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 190(1): 1–5.
• Uguru, M.I., B.C. Oyiga, A. Elias and E.A. Jandong. 2012. Responses of some Soybean Genotypes to Different Soil pH Regimes in two Planting Seasons. African Journal of Biotechnology 6(1): 26-37.
• Wang, X., Y.X. Ma and J. Li. 2003. The nutrient content and main biological characteristics of alfalfa. Pratacultural Science 10: 39–41.
• Wang, Z., X. Bao, X. Li, X. Jin, J. Zhao, J. Sun, P. Christie and I. Li. 2015. Intercropping maintains soil fertility in terms of chemical properties and enzyme activities on a timescale of one decade. Plant Soil 391: 265–282.
• Yang F., D. Liao, Y. Fan, R. Gao, X. Wu, T. Rahman, T. Yong, W. Liu, J. Liu, J. Du, K. Shu, X. Wang and W. Yang. 2017. Effect of narrow-row planting patterns on crop competitive and economic advantage in maize–soybean relay strip intercropping system, Plant Production Science 20(1): 1-11.
• Yildirim, E. and M. Ekinci. 2017. Intercropping Systems in Sustainable Agriculture. SDU J. of Faculty of Agriculture 12 (1): 100-110.
• Zhang, J., B. Yin, Y. Xie, J. Li, Z. Yang and G. Zhang. 2015. Legume-Cereal Intercropping Improves Forage Yield, Quality and Degradability. Plos One 16 10(12): e0144813. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144813.
• Zhang X.H., H. Dıng and Z.X. Zhou. 2016. Effects of wheat/alfalfa intercropping on soil nutrients. Scholars Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences 3(5): 346-350.