Effects of Seed Rates on Forage Production, Seed Yield and Hay Quality of Annual Legume-Barley Mixtures

Authors: YAŞAR KARADAĞ, UĞUR BÜYÜKBURÇ

Abstract: The forage yield and quality of common vetch, grasspea and barley grown alone and as mixtures were investigated in field experiments conducted at the Faculty of Agriculture, Gaziosmanpaşa University, in 2001 and 2002. The highest green forage (39.65 t ha^{-1}) and dry matter yields (10.71 t ha^{-1}) were obtained from the mixture including 25% common vetch and 75% barley, while the highest total seed yield (2.95 t ha^{-1}) was obtained from the mixture including 25% grasspea and 75% barley. In addition, the highest crude protein yield (1.53 t ha^{-1}) was achieved with the 50% grasspea and 50% barley mixture. The mean relative yield total values of dry matter and total seed yields were 1.78 and 1.79, respectively. In conclusion, the mixture comprising 25% common vetch or grasspea and 75% barley is recommended for green forage, dry matter and seed yields. The 50% grasspea and 50% barley mixture produced the highest crude protein yield and therefore is recommended for this region.

Keywords: Vetch-barley mixture, grasspea-barley mixture, forage quality

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