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

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 Complete 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.