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. © 2018, Centenary University. All rights reserved.