Yield of Forage Pea-Cereal Intercropping Using Three Seed Ratios at Two Maturity Stages

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate productivity and profitability of different forage winter pea-cereal mixtures at two maturity stages: (1) in the middle of pea flowering, and (2) emergence of the first pea pods. A field experiment was conducted during the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 growing seasons. The yield of winter pea (Pisum arvense L.), oat (Avena sativa L.) and triticale (×Triticosecale) monocultures as well as mixtures of winter pea with both cereals, in three seed weight ratios (50:50, 75:25 and 85:15), was investigated. To determine the efficiency of intercropping, the land equivalent ratio (LER) at the second maturity stage was calculated. The results showed that mixtures of winter pea with both cereals at the seed ratio of 85:15 had a significant advantage from intercropping which was attributed to better land use efficiency.