A Study on Herbage Yield and Quality of Different Ratios of Vetch (Vicia sp.) and Wheat (Triticum sp.)

Meeting Turkey's forage need is possible by improving the areas where natural forage is produced and increasing the area and yield of forage crops grown in field agriculture. Alternative production techniques should be investigated for increasing yield. A wide variety of mixed cropping practices are practiced using legumes and grasses. The aim is to obtain more quantity and better-quality fodder, thus reducing the cost of livestock enterprises. In order to obtain the expected benefit from mixed cropping, the sowing rates should be carefully adjusted. The aim of this study was to determine the appropriate mixture ratios by experimenting the mixed sowing of vetch and wheat, which is a valuable forage crop in Kahramanmaraş province located in the east of the Mediterranean Region, and to examine the hay yield and quality. The research was carried out in the experimental field of Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Field Crops in the winter production period of 2017-2018, according to the randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. One mixture form (Wheat + Vetch) and five mixture ratios (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, 0:100) were used. According to the results of the study, it was observed that the mixture ratio had statistically significant effects on plant height, green herbage yield, vetch ratio in green and dry herbage, total proportional yield, crude protein ratio and yield, NDF ratio and relative feed value. As the proportion of wheat among the seeds in the mixture increased, the green herbage yield increased in general, while the crude protein ratio decreased. The contribution rates of vetch mixtures to green and dry herbage yield were lower than those of seed mixtures. The results obtained showed that vetch + wheat mixed sowing practices yielded higher amounts of green and dry herbage the plain sowing practices in terms of herbage yield and quality in Kahramanmaraş province and in the conditions dominated by the typical Mediterranean climate. It was also observed that common vetch had superior characteristics than hungarian vetch in terms of proportional yield. As a result of the research, it was concluded that 75% wheat + 25% common vetch mixture is the most suitable mixture in terms of both herbage yield and quality and more functional use of ecological resources under the conditions of Kahramanmaraş province.