Influence of Tillage Systems and Cereals–Legume Mixture on Fodder Yield, Quality and Net Returns under Rainfed Conditions

Sunyad Sohail,Tauqeer Ahmad Yasir,Milan Skalicky,Ayman El Sabagh,Ahmed M El-Shehawi,Walid Soufan,Muhammad Ali Raza,Muhammad Ansar,Mohammad Sohidul Islam,Allah Wasaya,Marian Brestic

doi:10.3390/su13042172

Abstract

Livestock development in rainfed areas is slower due to the inadequate supply of nutritious fodder. Mono-cropping systems also have a negative impact on forage yield and nutrition as cereals are deficient in protein. Hence, there is a dire need to grow cereals with legumes to improve forage yield and quality. Therefore, a two-year field study was undertaken to evaluate winter cereal–legume forage and their mixtures viz. oats (cv. PD2-LV65), barley (Jau-86) and one legume viz. vetch (cv. Languedock) under different tillage systems viz. conventional tillage (moldboard plow+4-cultivation with tines) and conservation tillage (3-cultivation with tines). Crops were grown in pure stands as well as in mixtures with a 70:30 seeding ratio. The results revealed that the conventional tillage system performed better in terms of numbers of tillers/branches, leaf-to-stem ratio and green fodder yield than the conservation tillage system. However, the conventional and conservation tillage systems did not show a significant difference in terms of crude protein, acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber. In the pure stands and cereal–legume mixtures, the oat–vetch mixture performed better in terms of plant height, leaf-to-stem ratio and green fodder yield. The maximum crude protein content was observed in the oat–vetch mixture, while the maximum acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber were observed in the pure oat stands. In competitive indices, the land-equivalent ratio and competitive ratio showed the advantage of intercropping. In actual yield loss, results showed the positive value of barley and oats in mixtures, which reflects the advantage of intercropping in the rainfed areas. The economic analysis showed a greater net benefit from the conventional tillage than the conservation tillage system under rainfed conditions. On the basis of this investigation, an oat–vetch mixture and the conventional tillage system are recommended for higher tonnage of nutritious fodder in rainfed areas.

Highlights

IntroductionRaising field crops for grain purposes, can be risky because of a lack of water required for crop growth and development
Livestock production is an important part of agriculture, especially in rainfed areas.Raising field crops for grain purposes, can be risky because of a lack of water required for crop growth and development
The results of study showed that tillage methods significantly influenced the number of tillers/branches per plant, leaf-to-stem ratio, green forage yield and dry matter yield, but there was no significant difference in plant height, crude protein contents, acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber

Summary

Introduction

Raising field crops for grain purposes, can be risky because of a lack of water required for crop growth and development. Land degradation and surface crusting are common problems in such areas [3] Another major challenge is soil moisture conservation [4] because the evaporation rate exceeds precipitation. Farmers in this area use the conventional moldboard plow followed by 4–8 runs with the tine cultivator for in situ moisture conservation. Due to this continuous intensive plowing at the same depth, a hardpan often forms beneath the soil surface. There are several benefits of conservation tillage for soil health, water conservation, crop production and accentuated environment [8]

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion