EFFECT OF COMPANION CROPS ON FORAGE ESTABLISHMENT IN SOUTH COASTAL BRITISH COLUMBIA

Abstract

Field trials were conducted at the Agriculture Canada Research Station, Agassiz, B.C. from 1986 to 1988 to study, under south coastal British Columbia conditions, the use of companion crops in grass establishment. Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), or a mixture of the two was seeded with either oats (Avena sativa L.) or barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) as a companion crop, or as sole crops with weeds either allowed to grow or controlled by herbicide. First cut yields were highest and second cut yields lowest in the establishment year whenever a companion crop was used. Companion crops had no effect on third cut yield in the establishment year, nor on yield the following year. Total yield in the establishment year was highest whenever a companion crop was used due to the higher forage yield of annual cereals than perennial grass at first cut. Proportion of weeds in the first cut was lowest with a companion crop and highest where grass was seeded alone without herbicide. Crude protein content of the first cut was lowest with a companion crop while establishment method had no effect on crude protein content of subsequent cuts. In the second year crude protein content of the forage was highest with ryegrass and lowest with orchardgrass particularly if sprayed with herbicide. A companion cereal crop can be used when seeding forage grasses in south coastal British Columbia, and there is no advantage to using a herbicide for weed control on forage seedlings grown without a companion crop.Key words: Companion crop, establishment, forages, British Columbia