Abstract:
Fresh forages are the
cheapest source of animal feed in world.
Small grain cereals (SGC) are the most
commonly used fresh forages or ensiled
forage. Clovers are the perennial legumes
that offer quality forage but their initial dry
matter (DM) yield is low. Usually, SGC and
clover are sown in mixtures to draw benefits
from greater Cut-1 DM yield of cereals and
biological nitrogen (N) fixation of clovers.
However, mixtures are difficult to manage,
compared to monoculture owing to
differences in their growth pattern,
temporal, spatial and physical requirements.
In this review, SGC-clover mixtures are
analyzed for their potential herbage DM
yield and quality of the produce. Effect of
various management factors on the
productivity of forage mixtures are well
documented. Decisions in managing
mixtures, like choice of cereal and cutting
time and how they affect the value of the
final produce is reviewed. Besides decision,
effect of relative proportion and spatial
arrangement of intercrops is also
deliberated. Special attention is paid to the
competition between SGC and clovers and
its impact on clover suppression in mixture.
At the end conclusions are drawn to
optimize production from mixtures.
