EFFECTS OF SEEDING PATTERN AND HARVEST DATE OF PERSIAN CLOVER AND ANNUAL RYEGRASS ON HAY YIELD AND QUALITY IN A MEDITERRANEAN ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

This study was carried out at Experimental fields of Ege University Faculty of Agriculture Bornova/Izmir/Turkey, during the years of 2012-2014. Three different harvest dates (Early Spring, Mid Spring and Late Spring) and mixture rates (100+0%, 80+20%, 60+40%, 40+60%, 20+80% and 0+100%, respectively) of Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum) with annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) were tested. The experiment was arranged in a split block design with three replications. As the average of 2 years results, highest yield were recorded in sole Persian clover sown as catch crop and harvested in late spring under Mediterrenean climatic conditions. The data also indicated that pure Persian cover sowing provided the highest green matter, dry matter and crude protein yields, being 36.04 t ha-1 , 5.61 t ha-1 and 89 kg ha-1 , respectively. Legume ratio, NDF and ADF concentrations increased by advancing harvest dates.