A study on the trends of forage yield and morphological characters in barley and broad leaf vetch (Vicia narbonensis) intercropping in Ahvaz climatic conditions

To study the effects of intercropping system of barley and broad leaf vetch (Vicia narbonensis) on forage yield and some morphological characters، an experiment was conducted during 2007-2008 cropping season in Experimental Farm of Agricultural College of Shahid Chamran University، Ahvaz. The experiment was split plots based on Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Planting method had three levels (row intercropping، mixed intercropping and intercropping on row) as the main factors. Planting proportions had four levels (sole-cropping of barley and vetch، 2 to 1 proportion of barley to vetch and 1 to 2 barley to vetch) as the sub factors. In order to make the mixtures، the replacement series technique was used. Dry matter yield، vetch and barley height، number of tiller and number of fertile tillers in barley and number of stems in vetch plants was measured. In this study، intercropping had the highest dry forage yield، vetch and barley plant height، number of tillers and number of fertile tillers in barley compared to sole cropping of barley and vetch plants. The trend of dry forage accumulation was very slow during first 60 days for all treatments، and then increased rapidly until 138 days after planting، except for barley sole cropping which increased up to 120 days after planting. Barley plant height had a slow positive trend at first 75 days، during next 45 days it increased faster. Then plant height had slower increasing trend in row intercropping and intercropping on row، while in mixed intercropping increasing trend did not change. Vetch plant height positive sigmoid trend in all treatments، i. e. slow increase during first 90 days، faster increase in the next 30 days، then a mild increase to the end of growing period.