Quantitative and qualitative performance evaluation of green pea and barley forage intercropping

To evaluate the effect of intercropping of grass pea (Lathyrus sativa) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) in forage production and forage quality of a field trial was conducted at the research farm of the University of Birjand in the 1388-1389 crop year. For this purpose statistical factorial design was used in a randomized complete block with 15treatments and three replications.Treatments consisted of three low density(300 plant per square meter for barley, 500plants per square meter for grass pea), the average (400 plants per square meter for barley and 65 plants per square meter for grass pea), high density (500 plants per square meter for barley and 80 plants per square meter for grass pea), 5mixing ratio(25:75, 50:50, 75:25, 100:0, 0:100 of barley and grass pea mixture). After forage yield harvest, forage, quantitative and qualitative performance of green pea and barley in pure and mixed cultures were studied. Results showed that different levels of plant density on evaluated traits had no significant effect on other traits except intercropping dry matter yield, ash percent and NDF.but the grass pea and barley forage quantity and quality were tested with different intercropping treatments. highest fresh forage yield was devoted to grass pea mono cropping with 22222kg/ ha and among the intercropping ratios of25:75 (grass pea: barley)produced 22,088 kilogramsper hectare. Indices of intercropping forage ratio respectively, showed that the ratio of 50:50 at average density of LER = 1.32 and the mixing ratio. Forage quality analysis showed that all forage quality traits which affected with the intercropping ratios except crude fat were significant.The highest yield of protein was at the mixing ratio50:50(grass pea: barley)The effects of different ratios of mixed barley and grass pea were significant on measured traits. Also with increasing grass pea to barley cultivation system, the ash percentage and NDF were improved.