Determination of Forage Yield and Quality of Pea (Pisum sativum L.) Mixtures with Oat and Barley

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the forage yield and quality of pure stands or binary mixtures of pea (Pisum sativum L.) with oat (Avena sativa L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) mixtures. Two seeding ratios (55:45 and 65:35) were used to investigate forage yield and quality of pea-oat and pea-barley mixtures. Experiment was established in early spring of 2010 and 2011 in a randomized complete block design, with 3 replicates, in Isparta, Turkey. Dry matter (DM) yield, crude protein (CP) content, crude protein yield (CPY), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), total digestible nutrient (TDN) and relative feed value (RFV) were determined for each monoculture or mixture. The oat and barley grown in monoculture had the highest DM yield (13520 and 12810 kg ha), followed by pea-oat and pea-barley (55:45) seeding ratio, with 11270 and 10540 kg ha. CP content was highest in monoculture pea followed by pea-cereal (65:35). The highest forage quality parameters were achieved when pea was grown as a monoculture or when at a high proportion in mixture. The results showed that mixture of pea with barley and oat at the 65:35 seeding ratio was obtained