@article {10.3844/ajabssp.2010.169.176, article_type = {journal}, title = {Evaluation of Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) in Pure and Mixed Cropping with Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) to Determine the Best Combination of Legume and Cereal for Forage Production}, author = {Seyedeh, and Habibi, Davood and Kashani, Ali and Paknejad, Farzad and Jafary, Hossein and Al-Ahmadi, Majid Jami and Tookalloo, Mohamad Reza and Lamei, Javad}, volume = {5}, year = {2010}, month = {Jun}, pages = {169-176}, doi = {10.3844/ajabssp.2010.169.176}, url = {https://thescipub.com/abstract/ajabssp.2010.169.176}, abstract = {Problem statement: Mixed cereal-legume cropping can supply valuable forage in dry areas, as well as improving soil characteristics to approach sustainable farming systems in these regions. Approach: In order to comprise quality and quantity of produced forage and to determine the best planting ratio in a hairy vetch and barley mix cropping, a two year study was conducted during 2008 and 2009 in Zanjan Center for Research of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources, Zanjan, Iran, using these two forage crops in a completely randomized block design with five treatments and four replications. Hairy vetch and barley were single- or mix cropped at 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0:100 ratios. Results: Analysis of variance of two years data showed hay yield, absorbed N, P and K amounts and crude protein content varied among years and different planting ratio, significantly, with higher amounts in the second year. The highest dry matter yield, absorbed N, P and K and crude protein content were obtained in 50:50 planting ratio. The land equivalent ratio was more than one for all mix cropping treatments, with the highest value in 50:50 planting ratio, which also led to the highest LER in respect to crude protein. Conclusion: A 50:50 mixture of barley-hairy vetch can produce the highest dry forage yield, with a higher LER and the highest forage quality than sole cropping.}, journal = {American Journal of Agricultural and Biological Sciences}, publisher = {Science Publications} }