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Field experiments were conducted to study the effect of three rye (Secale cereale L.) populations, six triticale (3Triticosecale Wittm.) cultivars, and two barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars, used as cover crops, on the emergence and growth of barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.], bristly foxtail [Setaria verticillata (L.) P.Beauv.], and corn (Zea mays L.). Moreover, bioassay studies were conducted to assess allelopathic potential of the winter cereal extracts on both weed species and corn. All winter cereal extracts reduced barnyardgrass and bristly foxtail seed germination and growth, but none of them had any effect on corn. Bristly foxtail was affected more by all extracts than barnyardgrass, and growth of both weed species was reduced more by the extract of barley cultivar Athinaida. In field, 4 wk after corn planting, barnyardgrass and bristly foxtail emergence was reduced by 27 to 80% and 0 to 67%, respectively, in winter cereal mulched plots compared with that in winter cereal mulch-free plots. On the contrary, corn emergence was not affected by any cover crop mulch. At harvest, corn grain yield increased by 45% in no herbicide treated barley cultivar Athinaida mulched subplots as compared with that in respective mulch-free subplots. This corn yield in no herbicide treated Athinaida mulched subplots was similar with that obtained in respective herbicide-treated subplots. The results of this study suggest that some winter cereals such as barley cultivar Athinaida could be used as cover crop for annual grass weed suppression in corn and consequently to minimize herbicide applications. MATERIALS AND METHODS Laboratory Experiment Extract PreparationPlants of three rye populations originated from Albania, Germany, and Greece, as well as six triticale cultivars (Thisvi, K.

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Intercropping legumes with cereals for forage production is a sustainable technique showing several environmental benefits. We studied yields, quality and the growth rate of a 2-year experiment including (1) sole crops of common vetch, barley and winter wheat, and(2) intercrops of common vetch with barley and winter wheat using seeding ratios of 55:45 and 65:35. Our results show that the greatest dry matter yields were obtained with wheat and barley sole crops. The lowest yield was obtained with common vetch sole crop. The intercrops produced about 13-30% more dry matter than the common vetch sole crop, but 12-23% less than cereal sole crops. Further, the growth rate of common vetch and cereals was greater when species were grown as sole crops than in intercrops. Quality components indicated an advantage for the sole crop of common vetch followed by its intercrop with barley at the 65:35 seeding ratio, which exhibited higher crude protein yield than the sole crop of cereals and the other intercrops. The results of this study indicate that common vetch intercrops with barley or winter wheat produced higher dry matter than common vetch sole crop. In addition, the intercrop of common vetch with barley (65:35) provided higher forage quality than the other intercrops. Our study highlights that vetch-cereal intercropping can be used as an alternative cropping system which combines sustainability due to N fixation from common vetch, and high yield and forage quality. cereal / crude protein / growth rate / legume