Establishment of perennial forage crops using fast‐growing short‐lived grasses as companion crops

摘要

In the prairie region of western Canada, companion crops, usually small grain cereals, are often seeded with slow establishing perennial forage species to provide economic return in the year of establishment.Westerwolds ryegrass ( Lolium multi f lorum) is a fast establishing, high yielding forage grass that behaves as an annual in western Canada, which has the potential for use as a companion crop.Previous work showed that westerwolds ryegrass reduced the establishment of several grasses in the drier soil zones of western Canada (Jefferson et al.2000 ; Jefferson et al.2005).The objective of this study was to compare the density and forage yields over three years of newly seeded stands of alfalfa ( Medicago sativ a), meadow bromegrass ( Bromus rip arius) and alfalfa‐meadow bromegrass mixtures established with and without a Westerwolds ryegrass companion crop in two soil zones.