Mixed-cropping and Its Effects on Yield and Agronomical Traits of Barley (Hordeum vulgar L.) and Bersim Clover (Trifolium alexanderium L.)

Subject Areas : Journal of Crop Ecophysiology

S.  Mohammadi ¹ (Assistant Professor, Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center, West Azarbaijan, Iran)
N.  Khalil Agdam ² (Assistant Professor, Department of Agriculture, University of Payame Nour , Saggez, Iran)
A.  Khoshnejad ³ (Former Student of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Mahabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahabad, Iran)
M.  Pour Yousef ⁴ (Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Mahabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahabad, Iran)
N.  Jalilnejad ⁵ (Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Mahabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahabad, Iran)

Received: 2012-12-11 Accepted : 2013-10-30 Published : 2013-08-23

Keywords: yield, Clover-Barley Intercropping, LER,

Abstract :

Mixed-cropping of barley (Hordeum vulgar L.) and clover (Trifolium alexanderium L.) was studied in a randomized complete block design with 4 replications to detect their best planting patterns at Agriculture Research Center of Miandoab. The experiment comprised of 10 treatments: 9B:1C (nine rows of barley: one row of annual clover), 8B:2C, 7B:3C, 6B:4C, 5B:5C, 4B:6C, 3B:7C, 2B:8C, 1B:9C and sole croppings of each plants. The results indicated that intercropping as a whole had a significant effect on number of stem, plant height and yield of clover. On other hands, the highest clover yields (8.3 t/ha) was achieved in sole cropping and lowest (1.2 t/ha) in 10:90 (Barley: Clover) treatment. Results also showed that spike length, number of seed per spike, 1000-grain weight, protein percent, economical yield and biological yield were affected by mixed-cropping. Reducing planting rows of barley relative to clover caused 87% reduction in both economical and biological yields. 1000-grain weight also decreased from 45.82 to 39g. Total LER was 1 in all of patterns and in 40:60 (barley: clover) pattern was the highest. LER calculated based on forage in two crops was similar to LER which achieved on seed yield of barley and forage yield of clover. Decreasing in rows of barley diminished LER to <1 and when density of barley decreased in field, LER reached to <1. Overall, results showed that the best pattern planting for barley-clover Mixed-cropping for forage and for forage production in clover and seed yield in barley was 40:60 (barley: clover).