Two-stage AHP–AHP optimization of forage turnip–pea mixtures based on LER, yield and quality

This study was conducted to determined the land equivalent ratio, hay yield and quality of forage turnip (FT) ( Brassica rapa L.) and forage pea (FP) ( Pisum arvense L.) mixtures (100:0%, 50:50%, 25:75%, and 0:100%) under the ecological conditions of Bilecik/Türkiye. The study was carried out over three years (2022–2023, 2023–2024, and 2024–2025) using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The botanical composition, land equivalent ratio (LER), hay yield, protein yield, relative feed value (RFV), condensed tannin, and mineral contents (K, P, Ca, and Mg) were determined. The highest hay and protein yield was determined in mixture of 50FT+50FP% (8.28 and 1.78 t ha − 1 ) and 100FT% (7.66 and 1.53 t ha − 1 ). The LER value of the 50FT+50FP% mixture was calculated to be greater than 1, indicating an advantage over the pure stands. In this study, a new AHP-AHP two stage MCDM tool was introduced to determine the best mixture of forage turnip and forage pea. Two stage analysis makes the decision more sensitive since it describes the weight of the parameters through the expert views as well as ranking of the decision units including the mixture options for this study. In this sense, the experimentally obtained eight criteria were investigated first to determine the weights for the effects on the hay yield and quality. Secondly, the experimentally measured and observed mixtures were investigated through the second AHP network integrating the weights of the first AHP stage. According to the data obtained, pure forage turnip and the 50FT+50FP% mixture showed superior performance in terms of hay yield and quality. However, the land equivalent ratio indicated that the mixture was superior to the pure crops. Accordingly, it was concluded that the 50FT + 50%FP mixture would be suitable.