THE EFFECT OF VICIA FABA AS A COVER CROP ON GROWTH AND BIOMASS PRODUCTIVITY OF FIBRE SORGHUM ON POOR SANDY SOILS

摘要

A field experiment was carried out in Trikala area (central Greece), involving the cultivation of fiber sorghum as energy crop after an intercrop cultivation of faba bean as cover crop in the period 2007-2009. Experimental design was a factorial split plot involving two factors: a) nitrogen dressings in 2 treatments e.g. 0, 150 kg/ha for sorghum and b) cover crop intercropping in 3 treatments: i. harvested before the sowing of the energy crop, ii. incorporated into the topsoil, and iii. no cover crop. The study soil was a calcareous sandy loam (Typic Xerofluvent). The results demonstrated a substantial importance of the legume winter crop, as significant differences of all growth and productivity monitored components were observed. Sorghum total dry biomass yield, fluctuated from 19.8 to 26.5 t ha~(-1) for the control plots, from 22 to 30.4 t ha~(-1) when faba bean was harvested and from 24.1 to 32.3 t ha~(-1) when incorporated, depending on N-application, suggesting that fibre sorghum could be a very promising alternative commodity for biomass and energy production in Greece in the near future, even on sandy soils.