To study the mixing rates effects of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and chickpea (desi type) (Cicer ariethinum L.) on forage production under dryland conditions, a field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station of University of Tehran (Karaj campus) during the 2003 – 2004 growing season. The 11 Treatments of this experiment were statistically compared based on a Randomized Complete Block Design of three replications. Experimental treatments were arranged as a factorial of sowing density levels of chickpea (100%, 75% and 50% of pure stand) and barley (100%, 75% and 50% of pure stand). Also two additional treatments of chickpea and barley sole cropping were established as control. Barley grain (Valfajr cultivar) and chickpea (4322 ecotype) were simoultaniously planted on 20th December, green forage being harvested on 10th May (next year). No manure or irrigation was applied in this experiment (dryland system adopted). Forage was harvested taking into account chickpea phenology (early flowering stage). Barley was the dominant plant in all the mixed treatments. Results showed that forage yield of chickpea and barley was significantly affected by mixing rate (P<0.01). There was no significant difference among treatments including 100% chickpea for chickpea yield. A similar pattern was observed for barley grain yield. The highest forage yield of 2981 Kg/ha was obtained for chickpea100+barley100 intercrop treatment. Forage quality investigation showed that all qualitative traits except Water Soluble Carbohydrates (WSC), were affected by mixing rate. Although the highest protein yield (358.5 Kg/ha) was earned from Chickpea50+Barley50 treatment, there was no significant difference observed with Chickpea100+Barley100 treatment (318.4 Kg/ha). Meanwhile, introducing chickpea into barley cropping system augmented forage ash as well as crude fiber.

In Iran, Barley silage is considered much lower than the other silages. Barley can provide perfect fodder for ruminants in early spring, when other forage are not available.
This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of barley silage particles size and levels of concentrate on feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance microbial protein Synthesis and eating, Rumination and chewing activity in Kermani sheep.
Material and The experiment was carried out in sheep farms of Department of Animal Science, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman. Iranian conventional varieties of barley grain was grown in the farm of agricultural faculty in November 2011. About 1200 kg of barley fodder were harvested in green stems and doughy seeds condition, and chopped in sizes 24 and 12 mm and was ensiled in plastic bags without any additives. Silos were opened after 45 days and evaluate the physical properties and visual appraisal of barley silage. Experimental diets were: 1) 40 percent coarse barley silage and 60 percent concentrate 2) 60 percent coarse barley silage and 40 percent concentrate 3) 40 percent fine barley silage and 60 percent concentrate 4) 60 percent fine barley silage and 40 percent concentrate. Four mature male sheep weighing 52 ±4/0 were used in the experiment. Sheep were kept in metabolic cages and had free access to feed and fresh water and were assigned randomly to 2×2 factorial dietary treatments in a changeover design experiment. The experiment consisted of four periods, the experimental periods were 21 d each and included an adaptation period (d 1 to 14), a data collection period (d 15 to 20) and chewing behavior (d 21).
There was no significant difference in visual appraisal of silages, however pH was lower in fine barley silage (P=0.003). The pef, peNDF and geometric mean were higher in coarse barley silage diets. Dry matter intake was influenced by the levels of concentrate (p=0.02) and were higher on diets with 60% concentrate, but barley silage particles size had no effect on dry matter intake. NDF intake was influenced by the silage particles size and concentrate levels and was the lowest in the diet of 60% concentrate and fine barley silage particle size (p=0.05). Dry and organic matter digestibility were influence by barley silage particles size and concentrate levels, the highest dry and organic matter digestibility were in diet of fine silage particle size and 40% concentrate level (P The highest dry and organic matter digestibility were in 40 percent concentrate and fine barley silage diet, because contact with the rumen microorganism was increased with the silage particle size reduction.

In order to investigate the forage quantity and quality and advantage of barley- grass pea intercropping with application of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (Glomus intraradices), a field experiment was conducted as a randomized complete blocks design (RCBD) with 10 treatments and three replications at the faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh in 2017. Treatments were included planting patterns (sole planting of grass pea and barley, 75% grass pea+ 25% barley, 50% grass pea+ 50% barley, 25% grass pea+ 75% barley) with and without mycorrhiza inoculation. The results showed that the greatest barley and grass pea forage yield were related to monoculture patterns. Also, the highest total forage yield belonged to inoculated pattern of 75% grass pea+ 25% barley. Moreover, the highest forage ASH and crude prptein (CP) was observed in grass pea monocultures. In addition to, the greatest total crude protein yield was achieved in grass pea monocultures and inoculated pattern of 75% grass pea+ 25% barley. Also, in all planting patterns, except for 25% grass pea+ 75% barley non-inoculated pattern, LER was more than 1. The A, CR and RCC values in barley were higher than grass pea, indicating that barley was more competitive and dominant than grass pea. The highest AYLbarley, AYLgrass pea and total AYL were obtained from 75% grass pea+ 25% barley inoculated pattern, while the lowest AYL values were noted in 25% grass pea+ 75% barley non- inoculated pattern. Also, the highest MAI and SPI values were recorded for the 75% grass pea+ 25% barley inoculated pattern, indicating that this intercropping system were the most profitable. Generally, in basis of quantity and quality traits and agronomical and economical indices, 75% grass pea+ 25% barley inoculated pattern was recommended as superior pattern.

The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of two levels of barley silage particle size and two types of grain, barley and maize on feed intake, nutrients digestibility, rumen parameters and feeding behaviors in sheep. Statistical analysis was conducted using the changeover design experiment. Whole-plant barley was harvested at 28±1.5% moisture in 8 and 16 mm theoretical chop lengths for prepering short- and long- silages. Four male kermani sheep with the average weight of 53.38±2.05 kg were used and Experimental diets were: 1) long barley silage and barley grain 2) long barley silage and 20 percent corn grain 3) short barley silage and barley grain 4) short barley silage and 20 percent corn grain. Dry matter intake was influenced by the type of grain and was higher in diets that contain 20 percent corn grain (P<0.05). Rumen pH was affected by barley silage particle sizeand 2 types of grain, at 2 and 4 hours after feeding and was higher in long barley silage and 20 percent corn containing diets (p<0.05). Ammonia nitrogen concentration in rumen and microbial nitrogen and protein synthesis weren't influenced by treatments (p>0.05). Feeding behaviors, were affected by barley silage particle size, but did not affect by grain type. Dry matter intake was increased in 20% corn grain diets, due to increased pH and better rumen environment.

Introduction[1] Forages are grown mainly for feeding livestock, especially in dairy cows, because adequate roughage is needed in diets to provide good rumen function. However, as more roughage is fed, the energy density of the diet is reduced. So, the production of high quality forage is very important for dairy producers. High quality forage has direct effects on animal production efficiency, including weight gain, milk production, and reproductive success. Producing and conserving of high quality forage is a challenge because several factors can be affected forage quality including plant species, soil fertility, maturity at harvest, and harvesting (mowing, field curing, baling or chopping) and storage methods and other factors (weeds, insects and diseases). Fiber and energy contents are the most important in forage quality measures. As the fiber level increases, the energy content generally decreases. Therefore, improving forage quality can be achieved by managing forage carbohydrate content. Carbohydrates are the primary source for ruminants and contribute 60 to 70% of the net energy used for milk production and are classified as structural and non-structural. As usual, structural carbohydrates defined as neutral detergent fiber (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and portion of the pectin) and non-structural carbohydrates consist of the sugars, starches and pectin. Non-structural carbohydrates are a highly digestible energy source and together with degraded protein, are needed by the rumen for microbial growth and digestion. Plants accumulate sugars during the day via photosynthesis, but incur a net loss at night via dark respiration. This diurnal cycling reflects the concentration of total nonstructural carbohydrates in forages. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of morning versus afternoon cutting time on chemical composition, gas production parameters and digestibility of sun-drying alfalfa, clover and barley forages. Materials and Methods About 5-7 cm above the soil stage, alfalfa, clover and barley were harvested in two times, at 06:00 AM and 18:00 PM. Whole Alfalfa and clover plants were harvested at the first bud stage of development and whole barley plant at the medium dough stage of maturity used. Their nutritive value was evaluated through the determination of chemical compositions and in vitro gas production techniques. Samples were tested in an in vitro gas production method (96 h incubation) and batch rumen culture system (24 h incubation). Rumen fluid was collected before the morning feed from three fistulated Dalagh male sheep (45 ± 1.5 kg live weight fed on a forage diet at a concentration of 40:60). In vitro gas production was measured in triplicate and for each replicate; a sample of 200 mg DM was used. The bottles were then filled with 30 ml of incubation medium that consisted of 10 ml of rumen fluid plus 20 ml of buffer solution and placed in a water bath at 39 °C. Gas production was recorded at 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. Total gas values corrected for blank incubation and gas values expressed in ml g-1 of DM. The asymptotic gas production system (A) and rate of gas production (c), organic matter digestibility (OMD), metabolizable energy (ME) and short chain fatty acids (SCFA). A medium similar to one developed for gas production was used for batch rumen culture system to measure pH, and NH3-N and in vitro digestibility. The pH of the media was measured after 24 h incubation. After 24 h incubation, the contents of each glass bottle were empty, strained through four layers of cheesecloth and then 10 ml of strained rumen fluid was acidified by 10 ml of 0.2 N HCl for determination of NH3-N using the distillation method. Finally, all contents remaining in the bottles were filtered through nylon bags, oven dried at 60 °C for 48 h and analyzed for IVDMD and IVOMD. Results and Discussion Results showed that cutting time affected chemical composition of alfalfa and clover forages significantly (p < 0.05), but had not effect on barley forage. Afternoon cutting forages had lower content of NDF and ADF and higher levels of starch and WSC compared to morning cutting forages. There were no significant differences between afternoon and morning cutting forages on gas production parameters (P > 0.05). However, Afternoon cut forages had higher gas production potential than morning cutting forages. Results showed that harvest time had significant effect on DMD (66 vs 59) and OMD (64 vs 58.5) of barley forage. Although, time harvesting had no effect on MCP, EMCP and PF (P>0.05), but Afternoon cut forages had higher MCP, EMCP and PF than morning cutting forages. Conclusion Generally, it was concluded that with considered all factors that affected quality and nutritive value of forages, delaying forage harvest until late afternoon could result in improve nutritive value of forage.

This study was carried out as a split-plot based on randomized complete block design with 16 treatment combinations and in 4 replications for three crop years 2018-2020 in the Gachsaran agricultural research center. The experimental factors included tillage method (A) with two levels A1= conventional (moldboard plow + disk harrow) and A2= conservation (No-Till) which were placed in the main plots, and rotation (B) with eight levels consisting of 1) wheat - wheat (control), 2) barley-barley (control), 3) forage (Tolo variety) - wheat, 4) forage - barley, 5) canola - wheat, 6) canola - barley, 7) chickpea - wheat and, 8) chickpea-barley were placed in sub-plots. Also, Karim wheat, Khoram barley, Tolo cluster flower vetch, Adel chickpea, and Hayola 401 canola were used. These products were included in a periodic rotation of three years. The results showed that the increase in yield in wheat rotation was 19.3, 18.2, and 20.7%, respectively, and in barley rotation was 18.2, 18.6, and 10.2%, respectively, compared to continuous wheat and barley cultivation. The highest amount of plant biomass in wheat treatments was obtained by 9352 kg ha-1 from the forage rotation option and the highest wheat grain harvest index with of 36.6% was obtained from the canola-wheat rotation option. In barley treatments, the highest values of plant biomass and harvest index were obtained from forage and canola -barley rotation options, respectively. The conservation cultivation method in the canola rotation option increased the amount of moisture in the soil and reduced the specific gravity of the soil. There was the lowest amount of phosphorus and the highest amount of potassium and soil organic carbon percentage in this periodic option. Due to the higher productivity, it is recommended to farmers to alternate wheat and barley crops with canola in conservation tillage conditions, and at the same time, chickpea and forage crops should be used in the middle of their rotation period. Therefore, the acceptance of this system by farmers requires the implementation of this study in dryland conditions, and in this way, it is possible to preserve agricultural land.

This research was carried out to evaluate some agronomic characteristics and forage yield in two types of vetch and barley bi-culturing under Mahabad rainfed conditions. The treatments consisted of pure stands along with seed mixture of smooth vetch (cv. Maragheh) with barley (cv. Abidar) at 1:1, 1:2 and 2:1 seeding ratio as strip intercropping (different rows) and mixed seeding in a randomized complete block design with three replications. There were significant differences between treatments in terms of spring green coverage, plant height, days to flowering and forage yield. Plant height and forage yield in pure barley stands were more than mixed treatments. However, forage yield in mix cropping was 500% greater than pure vetch stands. The highest dry forage yield (3187 kg/ha) was obtained from 1:1 mix cropping of Maragheh and Abidar. There were no significant differences between two types of mix cropping in this experiment. Land equivalent ratio (LER) were more than 1 in all bi-cultures however, The highest LER (1.35) was obtained from 1:1 mixture of Maragheh and Abidar which could be recommended for autumn cultivation in Mahabad and similar conditions.

Field experiment in Poldokhtar city (Chemeshk village) in two cropping years 2018-19 and 2019-20 in the form of split plots based on a randomized complete block design with 4 levels of the main super absorbent factor (control, 50, 75, and 100 kg/ha-1) and 6 levels of sub-factor of additive series intercropping (forage chickpea pure stand, Saral cultivar, 25×100 (chickpea×barley), 50×100, 75×100, 100×100 and pure barley (Abidar barley) was used with 125 kg of forage chickpea and 200 kg/ha-1 of barley based on pure cultivation. Each of the above values, were used based on the percentage, in order to examine their coexistence on quantitative (forage) and qualitative (protein) traits of two plants. The interaction of the three studied factors (year, superabsorbent, intercropping) showed that in proportion to the increase of absorbent factor and legume ratio, increased the total dry hay which was more in the second year than in the first. In the second year×100 kg superabsorbent×100×100 and 100×75, 18.91 and 18.79% increased chickpea forage protein, respectively. The percentage of barley protein in the composition of 100×100 in the first and second year was 6.54 and 7.1, respectively. With increasing consumption of superabsorbent and legume complementary component, decreased the amount of NDF in chickpea forage.The triple effect of year×super absorbent×intercropping had a similar pattern on fluctuations in barley forage quality (fiber percentage). Therefore, the application of agronomic management with crop diversity per unit area and moisture absorbing indicated the application of ecological principle in the exploitation of production resources.

Despite the importance of forage quality to animal performance, the quality of barley as a feed and forage crop has not been taken into consideration as a selection criterion in its breeding programs. In order to map the genomic regions affecting barley forage quality, two experiments were conducted while employing 72 doubled haploid lines and their two parents (‘Steptoe’ and ‘Morex’), at the research farms of the Faculty of Crop and Animal Sciences, University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran and as well at the Agriculture and Natural Resources Research Station, Sistan, in 2007. The experiments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with two replications. Each plot consisted of four rows, 3m in length and spaced 25cm apart. The main effect of genotype was highly significant for all the studied traits. Transgressive segregation in either direction (positive and negative) was observed for all the studied traits. Twenty-eight QTLs controlling different studied traits were identified. Phenotypic variance explained by these QTLs varied from 4.18 to 38.92%. The highest LOD scores were obtained for the acid detergent fiber on chromosome 2H. QTLs for forage quality indices were detected on chromosomes 1H, 2H, 5H and 6H. Most mapped QTLs appear to benefit from stablility between locations. Therefore, gain through marker-assisted selection (MAS) in this population would be efficient