Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 West Azarbaijan Agriculture and Natural Resources Research Center
2 Agricultural Research and Education Centers of Zanjan, AREEO
3 DARI
Abstract
Introduction: Changing the pattern and improving the methods of planting perennial forage plants in rainfed areas can play a very important role in reducing the complications of successive planting of cereals and also increasing forage production by leaving low-yielding and sloping lands unused. By planting spurge in rainfed conditions, we can not only produce high-quality forage, but also help increase soil organic matter and sustainable production of rainfed cereals by creating appropriate soil cover and controlling erosion. One of the shortcomings of spurge cultivation is that in the first year, the yield of forage produced is very low. This may be partially compensated by growing it with some annual legumes or barley in the first year.
Methodology: This experiment was conducted to evaluate the intercropping of spurge with some annual legumes and barley under rainfed conditions in a randomized complete block design with 16 treatments and three replications at two rainfed research stations in Maragheh and Zanjan for three years (2015-2018). The experimental treatments included four pure cropping treatments of spurge, cowpea, forage pea, barley, and four incremental intercropping ratios of spurge with the three plants. Composite analysis of fresh and dry forage yield was performed over three years in a split plot over time based on a randomized complete block design.
Research findings: The results of the first year showed that the fresh and dry forage yields of spurge and companion plants, nitrogen percentage and protein yield were affected by different levels of mixture types. The maximum fresh and dry forage yields in the first year were 3433 and 1717 kg/ha, respectively, in pure barley planting, which did not differ significantly from the forage yields in the intercropping of spurge with forage pea and spurge with barley. Meanwhile, the lowest protein yield (7.7%) (76 kg/ha) was related to the intercropping of spurge with 30% pure barley. In the second year, the pure cropping treatments related to companion plants were eliminated and a highly significant difference (P<0.01) was obtained between the other treatments. The highest dry forage yields (2133 kg/ha) and fresh forage yields (5767 kg/ha) belonged to the pure cropping of spurge, but there was no significant difference between the treatments in terms of protein yield. In the third year, there was no significant difference between the forage yields of the treatments. However, the highest dry forage yield (1414 kg/ha) and fresh forage yield (4213 kg/ha) belonged to the pure spruce cultivation treatment. The results of the composite analysis showed that the effect of year on dry and fresh forage yields was highly significant. The interaction effect of year and treatment in terms of fresh and dry forage yields was also highly significant. The highest dry forage yield (2133 kg/ha) belonged to the pure spruce treatment in the second year. In summary, it was concluded that spruce cultivation is possible in the dry-land conditions of the semi-arid regions of Maragheh and Zanjan, and to increase the quantity and quality of forage production in the first year, barley or grasspea (at a density of 30%) can be used as a companion plant.
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