Journal article

Publication year: 1995

Pages: 355-364

Journal: Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science

Volume number: 175

Issue number: 5

ISSN: 0931-2250

Publisher: Wiley

Abstract: 
In a field experiment, the influence of interspecific competition on the nutritional value of different species in a grass-clover mixture was studied. The species were Trifolium pratense and Dactylis glomerata or Lolium multiflorum, respectively. N-fertilization was varied in two steps (20 and 70 kg N . ha(-1) . cut(-1)). The swards were cut four times a year, and each species was harvested separately. The content of net energy (NEL), crude protein (CP), water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and minerals in each species were determined. The NEL content of the species was only slightly influenced by mixed cropping. The CP content of the grasses was higher in mixtures with Trifolium pratense than in monocultures. The WSC content of the grasses decreased with an increasing ratio of Trifolium pratense in the mixtures. This was due to a higher N-supply in the grasses in mixtures compared with monocultures on the one hand, and shading by Trifolium pratense on the other. In a few cases, the WSC content of Trifolium pratense was reduced by mixed cropping with the grasses. The mineral content of three species was clearly influenced by interspecific competition. The extent and the direction of the changes were different in the particular cuts and depended on the growing conditions and yield ratios of the species in the different mixtures. The results show that interspecific competition has an influence on the nutritional value of the species in a grass-clover mixture.

Harvard Citation style: vonBoberfeld, W. and Biskupek, B. (1995) The influence of interspecific competition in a grass-clover mixture on nutritional value, Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 175(5), pp. 355-364

APA Citation style: vonBoberfeld, W., & Biskupek, B. (1995). The influence of interspecific competition in a grass-clover mixture on nutritional value. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science. 175(5), 355-364.