Seeding Rate, Oat Companion Crop, and Planting Season Effects on Irrigated Organic Birdsfoot Trefoil Stands in the Mountain West United States

Abstract

The nonbloating perennial legume birdsfoot trefoil (BFT, Lotus corniculatus L.) is well suited for ruminant production on pastures, supporting greater weight gain and milk production than other forages. This study evaluated establishment options available to organic producers on subsequent BFT stands. We applied all combinations of spring vs. autumn planting, broadcast seeding rates of 3, 7, 20, and 34 kg pure live seed (PLS) ha−1, and use of an annual oat (Avena sativa L.) companion crop during establishment. These options were assessed using a split‐split‐split plot experimental design with four replications. Dry matter (DM) production and forage nutritive value under irrigation were assessed for 3 yr, and foliar cover was assessed on mature stands. In the first year after planting, DM production was less at 3 kg PLS ha−1 than at 20 or 34 kg ha−1, greater at 34 than at 7 kg PLS ha−1, and was reduced by a companion crop. Second and third year DM production for all treatments was similar and greater than 6000 kg DM ha−1. In the first year after planting, crude protein concentration was less, while neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber concentrations were greater compared with subsequent years. In the third year after planting, cover of BFT was greater than 70% for all treatments. On the basis of this study, early autumn planting of BFT without a companion crop at rates from 7 to 20 kg PLS ha−1 is recommended for organic establishment of BFT.

Benefits of Condensed Tannins in Forage Legumes Fed to Ruminants: Importance of Structure, Concentration, and Diet Composition

“…Cocultivation of forage legumes with companion crops can deliver higher total yields (Nyfeler et al, 2009;Döring et al, 2013;Finn et al, 2013;Mora-Ortiz, 2015;Hunt et al, 2016;Malisch et al, 2017), more nitrogen fixed per hectare (Nyfeler et al, 2011;Vasileva and Ilieva, 2016) and improved dry matter and nitrogen digestibilities of coensiled mixtures (Wang et al, 2007), but success depends on the agronomic compatibility of the species, appropriate treatments, and development of new sainfoin cultivars with a more competitive canopy (Mora-Ortiz, 2015; Mora-Ortiz and Smith, 2016; Kölliker et al, 2017;Malisch et al, 2017).…”

“…P. North American researchers have also explored oat and alfalfa as companion crops for irrigated birdsfoot trefoil and sainfoin (Wang et al, 2015;Hunt et al, 2016), and this involved developing a new sainfoin population for cocultivation with alfalfa. or undersowing with spring barley (Hordeum L.) as companions (Liu et al, 2008;Mora-Ortiz, 2015;.…”

“…However, new investigations showed that chicory (Cichorium intybus L.)-which also has antiparasitic properties-and oat (Avena sativa L.) can be cocultivated with sainfoin for a short period (i.e., two agronomic cycles; Mora-Ortiz, 2015; Mora-Ortiz and Smith, 2016), but chicory was found to be a very aggressive partner and to suppress sainfoin (Häring et al, 2008). North American researchers have also explored oat and alfalfa as companion crops for irrigated birdsfoot trefoil and sainfoin (Wang et al, 2015;Hunt et al, 2016), and this involved developing a new sainfoin population for cocultivation with alfalfa. The novelty of this work lies in the fact that this new sainfoin population has good competitiveness against alfalfa compared with previous sainfoin accessions, where seedlings first produced a long taproot and could become outgrown by weeds and many companion species .…”

Alfalfa establishment with sorghum–sudangrass as a companion crop

“…Although the technology shows promise, it is not quite ready for adoption (Osterholz et al, 2018), and traditionally, producers might pair alfalfa with fast emerging companion crops to increase seeding-year forage production (Buxton & Wedin, 1970;Hoy, Moore, George, & Brummer, 2002;Simmons, Sheaffer, Rasmusson, Stuthman, & Nickel, 1995;Wiersma, Hoffman, & Mlynarek, 1999) and suppress weed growth (Hall, Curran, Werner, & Marshall, 1995;Rehm, Sheaffer, Martin, & Becker, 1998). The use of companion crops provides an alternative to chemical applications for weed suppression (Hunt, MacAdam, & Griggs, 2016;Simmons et al, 1992) and, through an increase in ground cover, they help protect soils from wind and water erosion (Simmons et al, 1992(Simmons et al, , 1995Wiersma et al, 1999).…”

Beneficial Effects of Temperate Forage Legumes that Contain Condensed Tannins

“…In production-scale swards, mature BFT stands averaged approximately 7000 kg·ha −1 per year in the second and third year after planting [60], about two-thirds the DM yield of grazing types of alfalfa [59]. In a study carried out at Utah State University (USU), yearling Angus (Bos taurus) steers that were finished for 111 days (3.7 months) gained 0.55 kg·day on a concentrate diet [61].…”