Trial Report Summary

WADO, PCDF

(1) To determine the influence of row orientation on intercrops compared to
monocrops; (2) To determine grain, forage and quality output obtained from
intercrops involving oats

Protein content was significantly high in intercrops compared to sole crops. Seed weight also increased in
alternate compared to mixed cropping system as observed in pea-oat and faba-oat intercrops. Land
equivalent ratio increased in alternate and mixed cropping system compared to sole crops meaning that
there were benefits in intercropping than sole cropping. This was especially observed in faba-buckwheat,
pea-oat and faba-oat when individual sites were analyzed. Grain yield from mixed cropping system
matched that of sole crop in some cases, indicating a potential for another option that farmers can choose
from if their objectives include crop diversification. Forage yield was also promising and such cropping
systems as the ones in this study could be useful for farmers who are integrate with livestock
production. Results from this study are from 2 site-years and additional site-years of data are required to
validate these findings and come up with recommendations that farmers can use in their respective areas
of production.

Intercroppings systems are growing in popularity in Canada because their use has contributed to
enhanced livestock production due to improved grain yield and forage quality. The importance of
including legumes in intercropping systems is fall grazing for integrated crop and livestock systems,
which can also compliment grazing of crop residues (Andersen et al., 2020). This helps save stored
forage resources for winter feeding, thus reducing feed costs. Fababean is one of the most important
potential crops that can be used for this purpose. The crop has key environmental benefits in its ability
to fix atmospheric nitrogen symbiotically under a wide range of environmental conditions making
nitrogen available under diversified crop rotations (Kopke and Nemecek, 2010; Andersen et al.,
2020). Fababean enhances sustainable agricultural systems through diversified intercrops which provide
an environment for soil microbes to improve soil conditions such as aeration and organic matter
content. In other studies, inclusion of fababean in intercropping systems has been shown to increase
phosphorus mobilization making it more available to plants. When determining fababean intercropping
options, it is crucial to select one that provides more benefits in terms of soil health improvement, dry
matter yield and disease reduction. Previous studies have examined various fababean: non-legume
seeding ratios such as 75%:25%, 50%:50% and 25%:75%. They found out that the most productive
intercrop was that of fababean-oats at 25%:75% seeding ratio (Dhima et al., 2013). As a result of
potentially higher dry matter and protein content for intercrops involving fababean, this can be an
alternative to sole fababean in forage production. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the
influence of row orientation on fababean and oat intercrops compared to sole crops and to determine
grain, forage and quality output from these intercrops.

Entire findings are available by downloading the report PDF.

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