Growing winter cereal grain/forage legume intercrops can provide multiple benefits to cropping systems in the North Central USA. Intercropping red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) with winter cereal grains can provide forage and a green manure crop. Seeding rate recommendations for sole crops may not optimize intercrop system productivity if interactions exist. This study was conducted during the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 growing seasons to determine optimum cereal grain and red clover forage seeding rates for maximum returns using partial budget analyses. In March, red clover was frost-seeded at 0, 300, 600, 900, 1200, and 1500 seeds m 22 into winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) seeded at 100, 200, 300, and 400 seeds m 22 the previous October. Triticale and wheat maximized returns at seeding rates of 300 and 400 seeds m 22. No cereal grain by red clover seeding rate interactions were detected for red clover dry matter production (DM). Red clover plant densities after cereal grain harvest were 10 to 22% of the original seeding rates. Red clover DM production and return was maximized at 3.49 Mg ha 21 with 900 seeds m 22 in 2003 and 6.67 Mg ha 21 with 1200 seeds m 22 in 2004. Winter cereal/red clover intercrops in the North Central USA can maximize return using a cereal grain seeding rate between 300 and 400 seeds m 22 and red clover seeding rates between 900 and 1200 seeds m 22 .
Interseeding red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) or alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) into winter cereals in the North Central United States can provide forage and a green manure crop. We hypothesized that winter cereal canopy traits such as leaf area index (LAI) and whole plant dry matter (DM) would infl uence interseeded legume establishment and productivity, yet the eff ect of canopy traits on resource competition in intercropping systems is not well understood. Th is study was conducted from 2005 to 2007 to evaluate the impact of diverse cereal canopy traits on the establishment of frost-seeded legume intercrops. In March, red clover and alfalfa were frost-seeded into three winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and three triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) varieties selected for diff erences in maximum LAI, plant height, and DM. Across three growing seasons, the cereals produced a range of LAI from 2.1 to 6.2 and whole plant harvest DM of 817 to 2029 g m -2 . In the 2 yr with legume data, densities were infl uenced by cereal 1 yr and DM was aff ected by cereal both years. Alfalfa and red clover densities were similar, yet DM production was 42% higher in red clover 40 d aft er grain harvest. Th e presence of a legume intercrop did not aff ect grain yield, but reduced weed densities and weed DM 40 d aft er harvest. Producers implementing this intercrop may select cereal varieties based on grain yield, but must be cautious of varieties known to produce above normal LAI values because of the potential to reduce legume productivity.
Diversification of corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cropping systems can be achieved by incorporating winter cereal grains. Winter cereal grain production systems in the northern USA are inefficient in respect to annual radiation capture because the majority of these fields lay fallow until the following cropping season. The addition of a red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) intercrop to winter cereal grains can supply forage and provide N to subsequent crops. The objective of this study was to determine the red clover dry matter (DM) and forage quality response to winter cereal species, cereal seeding rate, and red clover seeding rate. Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and triticale (×Triticosecale spp.) were seeded at 100, 200, 300, and 400 seed m−2 in October 2002 and 2003. In March, red clover was frost‐seeded at 300, 600, 900, 1200, and 1500 seed m−2 Red clover harvests in late summer, early fall, and the following spring yielded 6.2 to 8.5 Mg ha−1 DM. Winter cereal species only affected red clover DM in the following spring of 1 yr. Cereal seeding rates impacted DM within specific harvest periods, but had no effect on seasonal totals or spring DM. Increasing red clover seeding rates increased final DM yield in four of six harvests. Increasing red clover seeding rate had no consistent effect on forage quality. Producers that intercrop red clover in winter wheat or triticale should frost‐seed at 900 to 1200 seed m−2 to maximize DM yield.
As water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer continue to decline in the Texas High Plains, alternative forage crops that utilize less water must be identified to meet the forage demand of the livestock industry in this region. A two-year (2016 and 2017) study was conducted at West Texas A&M University Nance Ranch near Canyon, TX to evaluate the forage production and quality of brown midrib (BMR) sorghum-sudangrass (SS) (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. Drummondii) and BMR pearl millet (PM) (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) Leeke)) harvested under three regimes (three 30-d, two 45-d, and one 90-d harvests). Sorghum-sudangrass consistently out yielded PM in total DM production in both tested years (yield range 3.96 to 6.28 Mg DM ha−1 vs. 5.38 to 11.19 Mg DM ha−1 in 2016 and 6.00 to 9.87 Mg DM ha−1 vs. 6.53 to 15.51 Mg DM ha−1 in 2017). Water use efficiency was higher in PM compared to SS. The 90-d harvesting regime maximized the water use efficiency and DM production compared to other regimes in both crops; however, some forage quality may be sacrificed. In general, the higher forage quality was achieved in shorter interval harvesting regimes (frequent cuttings). The selection of suitable forage crop and harvesting regime based on this research can be extremely beneficial to the producers of Texas High Plains to meet their individual forage needs and demand.
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