Performance of Alfalfa under Different Intercropping Treatments

Abstract

This study was aimed to determinate the yield and quality pattern of alfalfa stand under different intercropping treatments. Alfalfa was intercropped with sorghum-sudangrass hybrid, soybean, cowpea, and buckwheat at seed ratio of 100%:100%, 100%:80% or 100%:60%, and 100% alfalfa was used as control. The experiment was arranged in randomized block design with three replications and conducted at the research field of Yozgat Bozok University located in inner Anatolia, Yozgat-Turkey. Alfalfa and companion crops were sown as binary mixtures with 60 cm row distance in the spring of 2015.  All the data was collected in the establishment year and the first production year (2016). Hay yield, protein yield, ADF (Acid detergent fiber), NDF (neutral detergent fiber), Ca, Mg, P and K content were investigated in all the treatments. Alfalfa intercropped sorghum-sudangrass hybrid at 100%:60% seed ratio produced the highest hay yield both in the establishment year (18.25 t ha^-1) and the first production year (17.91 t ha^-1). This study showed that intercropping increased hay and protein yield of alfalfa stand compare to sole alfalfa with the significant effect of companion crop and seed ratio.

Keywords

• Alfalfa,Buckwheat,Hay yield,Intercropping,Sorghum

Yoncanın Farklı Karışık Ekim Uygulamaları Altındaki Performansı

Öz

Bu çalışmada farklı bitkiler ile karışık ekilen yoncanın verim ve kalite özelliklerinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Yonca ile birlikte karışık olarak; sorgumxsudanotu melezi, soya, börülce ve karabuğday kullanılmıştır. Karışımlar % 100:100, % 100:80 veya % 100:60 tohum oranlarıyla ekilmiş, kontrol olarak ise yalın yonca kullanılmıştır. Çalışma Tesadüf Blokları Deneme Desenine göre 3 tekrarlamalı olarak kurulmuş olup, Yozgat Bozok Üniversitesi Uygulama ve Araştırma arazisinde yürütülmüştür. Yonca ile arkadaş bitkilerin ekimi sıra arası 60 cm olacak şekilde ve 2015 ilkbahar döneminde yapılmıştır. Çalışmada tüm gözlemler hem denemenin kurulduğu yılda hem de ikinci yılda alınmıştır.  Araştırmada tüm işlemlerde kuru ot verimi, protein verimi ile ADF, NDF, Ca, Mg, P ve K içerikleri incelenmiştir. En yüksek kuru ot verimi hem denemenin kurulduğu ilk yıl (18.25 t/ha) hem de ikinci yılda (17.91 t/ha) yonca + sorgumxsudanotu melezinin % 100:60 karışımından elde edilmiştir. Bu çalışmada karışık ekimin yalın yonca ekimine oranla ot ve protein verimini yükselttiği ve yoncanın arkadaş bitkiden ve karışım oranlarından etkilendiği belirlenmiştir. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Yonca,Karabuğday,Kuru ot verimi,Karışık ekim,Sorgum

References

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