COMPETITIVE ABILITY OF WINTER CEREAL–COMMON VETCH INTERCROPS AGAINST STERILE OAT

Abstract

SUMMARYIntercropping cereals with legumes for forage or food production is extensively used as a cropping practice in many parts of the world. A 2-year field study was conducted using common vetch (Vicia sativa), winter wheat (Triticum aestivum), triticale (× Triticosecale), barley (Hordeum vulgare) and oat (Avena sativa) sole crops as well as common vetch intercrops with each of these cereals in a 35:65 cereal:common vetch ratio based on seed numbers, to determine their ability to compete with sterile oat (Avena sterilis spp. sterilis). At nine weeks after planting, fewer sterile oat plants emerged in common vetch sole crop than in cereal sole crops. Intercropping of cereals with common vetch generally did not affect sterile oat stem number and biomass compared with cereal sole crops. At harvest, cereal sole crops provided greater total dry biomass (DB) than the common vetch sole crop. However, triticale and oat produced more DB than winter wheat and barley. In most cases intercropping reduced total DB compared with cereal sole crops. The results of this study indicated that intercropping of the four winter cereals with common vetch did not provide any significant competitive advantage against sterile oat. However, common vetch sole crop showed the greatest suppressive ability against sterile oat among the sole crops or intercrops studied.