Relative Aerial Biomass Yield of Intercroped Alfalfa with Winter Forage Cereals

Abstract

A B S T R A C T In the tropical regions of the world, intercropping is mostly associated with food grain production, whereas it is receiving increased attention in temperate regions as a means of efficient forage production. The aim of this work was to determine the relative yield of aerial biomass in alfalfa or lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) and winter forage cereals intercrops. These were done in eight systems resulting from the combination of species sown at different dates. The biomass was measured in three situations: alfalfa and cereal sole-crop and alfalfa-cereal intercrops, the relative biomass yields were calculated by the relative yield index (RYI). The field experiment was conducted as a bifactorial array in a randomized complete block design of two replicates. The alfalfa-cereal intercrops provided RYI values ranging from 0.71 to 0.83. This showed that it is possible to produce, in the same area, between 71 and 83% of the biomass that both crops would produce in separate ones.