Effects of Different Forage Pea and Rye Mixtures on Forage Yield and Quality

This study was carried out in the 2018-19 vegetation period to determine the appropriate mixture ratios of forage pea (Pisum sativum L.) and rye (Secale cereale L.) under rainfed conditions of Kırşehir province, Turkey. The layout of the experiment was randomized blocks with three replications and the treatments were pure rye, pure forage pea and four different mixtures of forage pea and mixtures (20% FP + 80% R, 40% FP + 60% P, 60% FP + 40% R, 80% FP + 20% R). The highest green forage yield (2395.1 kg da-1), dry matter yield (833.3 kg da-1) and crude protein yield (71.0 kg da-1) were obtained from pure rye sowings. The highest crude protein ratio (15.6%), the lowest ADF (31.1%) and NDF (39.3%) ratios were obtained from pure forage pea sowings. The increase in the rye ratio of the mixtures increased the yield, while the increase in the forage pea ratio caused an increase in the forage quality. The results revealed that a mixture of pure rye and 20% FP + 80% R can be recommended to obtain high dry matter yield, and 40% FP + 60% R mixture for yield and quality for under continental climate conditions as in Kirsehir province of Turkey.