Intercropping of kochia (Kochia scoparia L.) with blue panic grass (Panicum antidotale Retz.) under irrigation with saline water

Salinity of soil and irrigation water creates major problems for forage production. This study was aimed to evaluate the quality and quantity of forage production in intercropping of kochia (Kochia scoparia L.) with blue panic grass (Panicum antidotale Retz.) under irrigation with saline water (4.9 dS.m-1). The study was performed based on randomized complete block design with three replications during growing season 2010-2011 at Salinity Research Field, of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Treatments were five different levels including 100, 75, 50, 25 and 0 percentage of relative composition of the two species. Treatment of 50% blue panic grass and 50% kochia with an average of 1408 g.m-2 produced the highest dry matter yield followed by 25% blue panic grass + 75% kochia and 75% blue panic grass + 25% kochia produced 1317 and 993 g.m-2, respectively. Due to lower growth rate of blue panic grass in the first year, a large proportion of dry matter in the mixture was associated with kochia and land equivalent ratio was less than one in all intercropping treatments. In the first and the second clippings, there was no significant difference between intercropping treatments in terms of crude protein, ash, NDF and ADF.