engleski

EFFECT OF INTERCROPPING MAIZE WITH SOYBEAN ON FORAGE YIELD AND QUALITY

Cereals are high important in feeding ruminant animals for their high dry matter production and low cost. However, maize forage is poor in protein content which shows its low quality and nutritive value. Regarding to high feed costs of protein supplementations, legumes can be used in livestock nutrition for their high protein content and, thus, providing cost savings. Since legumes have low dry matter yield, acceptable forage yield and quality can obtained from intercropping cereals and legumes compared with their sole crops. In this study, maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L. Merril) intercropped in different numbers of rows and their monocropping equivalents were tested to determine the best intercropping system on forage yield and quality. Maize was cultivated alone and intercropped with soybean as follows: 1 row maize to 1 row soybean (1M1S), 1 row maize to 2 rows soybean (1M2S) and 1 row maize to 3 rows soybean (1M3S). The highest dry matter yield was produced by intercropping 1M3S (19.2 t ha-1) and the lowest by 1M1S (16.9 t ha-1). All intercropping had higher crude protein values in dry matter 1M1S (113 g kg-1), 1M2S (122 g kg-1) and 1M3S (130 g kg-1) than the monocrop maize (77 g kg-1). Intercropping of maize with soybean reduced neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber content, resulting in increased forage digestibility. The study showed that among all intercropped forages the 1M3S (1 row maize to 3 rows soybean) was preferable according to forage yield and quality than other intercropping.

Intercropping ; maize ; soybean ; yield ; quality

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