Track 2‐6‐1: Developing Intensive and Extensive Forage Production with Environment Friendly Technologies and Adoption of Mechanization

Description

Forage production during summer season is a big challenge in the semi-arid dry areas. Forage crops become more important with increasing demand for meat and milk in the developing countries (Delgado, 2003). There are suitable opportunities to increase forage production without any decrease in cultivated areas under major cereal crops. Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) and other neglected crops offer viable options for forage production. Forage crops cannot be recommended for cultivation at the expense of cereal crops which are defined as strategic crops for food security in most countries including Iran (Anonymous, 2010). Therefore, it is necessary to look for new opportunities. Cereals are dominant crops in semi-arid region and there is a short season window between the harvest of cereals in early July and planting of new crops in early October which normally is left as summer fallow in the semi-arid regions of Iran. There is generally no rainfall during July to late September in these areas (Modarres and Da Silva, 2007). It is possible to provide a little irrigation water in some areas for growing forage crops. However, selected crops should grow fast and complete the production cycle during maximum 60 days as the normal winter crops planting starts early October in these areas.

After harvesting of cereals including wheat and barley there is a considerable amount of shattered seeds which remain in the field during summer and usually are eaten away by birds or insects (Lamei et al., 2011). The rate of shattering is generally high depending on harvesting method and machinery, however, it is believed that there is a minimum 5% shattering in barley and wheat (Lamei et al., 2011). Barley production rate is around 3000 kg/ha under irrigated conditions in semi-arid areas and its 5% shattering (150 kg/ha) is optimum seeding rate for barley in these areas. It sounds that planting a suitable crop just after harvesting of cereals could alleviate the already shattered seeds to produce a mixed cropping. Mixed cropping of cereals with forage legumes can improve both quantity (Mpairwe et al., 2003) and quality of fodder over a pure cereal crop (Ghosh, 2004). Considerable variation has been reported in forage yields of improved vetches (Vicia spp.) and grass pea (Lathyrus spp.) under semi-arid conditions (Alizadeh and Shiv, 2013). Grass pea can grow successfully and complete flowering during 50-60 days which fits summer fallow, perfectly. Planting of grass pea with minimum tillage just after harvesting the cereals using a few irrigations can lead a mixture of cereals and legumes in order to enhance forage production. The objective of the present work was to evaluate pure stands along with mixtures of already shattered barley seeds with a local variety of grass pea at three seeding rates immediate after the barley harvest.

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Introduction of Grass Pea as a Suitable Summer Crop after Barley Harvesting in the Semi-Arid Areas

Forage production during summer season is a big challenge in the semi-arid dry areas. Forage crops become more important with increasing demand for meat and milk in the developing countries (Delgado, 2003). There are suitable opportunities to increase forage production without any decrease in cultivated areas under major cereal crops. Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) and other neglected crops offer viable options for forage production. Forage crops cannot be recommended for cultivation at the expense of cereal crops which are defined as strategic crops for food security in most countries including Iran (Anonymous, 2010). Therefore, it is necessary to look for new opportunities. Cereals are dominant crops in semi-arid region and there is a short season window between the harvest of cereals in early July and planting of new crops in early October which normally is left as summer fallow in the semi-arid regions of Iran. There is generally no rainfall during July to late September in these areas (Modarres and Da Silva, 2007). It is possible to provide a little irrigation water in some areas for growing forage crops. However, selected crops should grow fast and complete the production cycle during maximum 60 days as the normal winter crops planting starts early October in these areas.

After harvesting of cereals including wheat and barley there is a considerable amount of shattered seeds which remain in the field during summer and usually are eaten away by birds or insects (Lamei et al., 2011). The rate of shattering is generally high depending on harvesting method and machinery, however, it is believed that there is a minimum 5% shattering in barley and wheat (Lamei et al., 2011). Barley production rate is around 3000 kg/ha under irrigated conditions in semi-arid areas and its 5% shattering (150 kg/ha) is optimum seeding rate for barley in these areas. It sounds that planting a suitable crop just after harvesting of cereals could alleviate the already shattered seeds to produce a mixed cropping. Mixed cropping of cereals with forage legumes can improve both quantity (Mpairwe et al., 2003) and quality of fodder over a pure cereal crop (Ghosh, 2004). Considerable variation has been reported in forage yields of improved vetches (Vicia spp.) and grass pea (Lathyrus spp.) under semi-arid conditions (Alizadeh and Shiv, 2013). Grass pea can grow successfully and complete flowering during 50-60 days which fits summer fallow, perfectly. Planting of grass pea with minimum tillage just after harvesting the cereals using a few irrigations can lead a mixture of cereals and legumes in order to enhance forage production. The objective of the present work was to evaluate pure stands along with mixtures of already shattered barley seeds with a local variety of grass pea at three seeding rates immediate after the barley harvest.