Abstract

Intercropping of silage maize (Zea mays L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is not a common practice because alfalfa generally reduces maize grain and biomass yield. The objective of this research was to evaluate the productivity and profitability of silage maize–alfalfa intercropping, with a goal to establish alfalfa and increase alfalfa productivity in the first year of production. The experiment was conducted in Fargo and Prosper, ND, USA, in 2014–2017. The design was a randomized complete block with four replicates and a split-plot arrangement. The main plot had two maize row-spacing treatments (RS), 61 and 76 cm, respectively. Treatments in the subplot were: (1) maize monoculture, (2) maize intercropped with alfalfa, (3) maize intercropped with alfalfa + prohexadione-calcium (PHX), and (4) spring-seeded alfalfa in the following year (simulating a maize–spring-seeded alfalfa crop sequence). Both alfalfa and maize were seeded the same day in May of 2014 at both locations. Prohexadione-calcium, a growth regulator to reduce internode length and avoid etiolation of alfalfa seedlings, did not improve alfalfa plant survival. Averaged across locations, RS did not have an effect on silage maize yield and alfalfa forage yield. Alfalfa established in intercropping with maize had almost double the forage yield in the following year compared with spring-seeded alfalfa following a crop of silage maize. Considering a two-year system, alfalfa intercropped with maize had higher net returns than a silage-maize followed by a spring-seeded alfalfa sequence. This system has the potential to get more growers to have alfalfa in the rotation skipping the typical low forage yield of alfalfa in the establishment year.

Highlights

  • Alfalfa established in intercropping with maize had almost double the forage yield in the following year versus spring-seeded alfalfa following a crop of silage maize

  • The application of prohexadione-calcium to alfalfa under the maize canopy did not improve alfalfa establishment and survival when intercropped with silage maize, indicating that alfalfa can be established in intercropping with silage maize in the northwestern US Corn

  • Alfalfa intercropped with maize had greater net returns than a silage-maize followed by a spring-seeded alfalfa the following year, which is the typical crop sequence in the region for growers who grow silage maize and alfalfa

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Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The most common crop sequences in the Corn Belt region of the USA are continuous maize, and maize–soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.). In the last two to three decades, foragebased, more diverse crop rotations have transitioned to less diverse annual crop-based rotations [1]. The increase in farm sizes, decline in livestock numbers, and increase of commodity prices drove the decline on crop diversity [2,3]. The reduced crop diversity in the Corn Belt has resulted in negative environmental impacts, such as loss of soil organic matter, degradation of soil physical characteristics, and increased soil erosion [4,5]

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