YIELDS AND QUALITY OF ITALIAN AND WESTERWOLDS RYEGRASSES, RED CLOVER, ALFALFA, BIRDSFOOT TREFOIL, AND PERSIAN CLOVER GROWN IN MONOCULTURES AND RYEGRASS-LEGUME MIXTURES

Abstract

Italian and Westerwolds ryegrasses (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum L.), red clover (T. pratense L.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) were grown in monocultures and in ryegrass-legume mixtures as summer annual forages. Ryegrass monocultures were fertilized with NH4NO3 at 75 kg N/ha at plant emergence, and at the same rates after cuts 1 and 2. The forage legumes in order of productivity were Persian clover > red clover > alfalfa > trefoil when grown in monoculture. Growing legumes in mixtures with ryegrass increased the dry matter (DM) yields from 15 to 52% over legumes grown in monocultures. The DM yields of mixtures were intermediate in relation to yields of legume monocultures and N fertilized ryegrasses. Inclusion of ryegrasses with legumes increased the DM production at the establishment phase and in the fall. Total N and in vitro digestibility of DM were lower for Westerwolds ryegrass-legume mixtures than for legume monocultures and Italian ryegrass-legume mixtures.Key words: Lolium multiflorum Lam., Trifolium resupinatum L., Trifolium pratense L., Medicago sativa L., Lotus corniculatus L.