Forage Potential of Cereal/Legume Intercrops: Agronomic Performances, Yield, Quality Forage and LER in Two Harvesting Times in a Mediterranean Environment

The crop yield and quality of seven annual forages (four grasses three legumes) in sole mixtures (ratio 50:50) for oat (Avena sativa L.), Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack), barley (Hordeum vulgare pea (Pisum sativum berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) common vetch (Vicia were evaluated a two-year field experiment adopting two harvesting times, green fodder silage. main bio-agronomic traits, dry matter forage (DMY) quantity crude protein (CP) determined both intercrop. land equivalent ratio (LER) was used evaluating biological efficiency competitive ability the intercrops. Our results showed that total calculated LER yields always greater than one corresponded to advantages 16.0% 11.5%, respectively. data also highlighted low intercrop, which achieved lowest among all mixtures. Conversely, same grass best quality, due high incidence legume, equal (on average) 46%. Triticale barley, harvested silage (hard dough stage), provided quantitative qualitative intercropped with pea, mainly by cereal grain.