Andueza Urra, Jesús Donato

Delgado Enguita, Ignacio

Muñoz Pérez, Fernando

citaREA Repositorio Electrónico Agroalimentario

Options Méditerranéennes, A, no. 109, 2014 – Forage resources and ecosystemservices provided by Mountain and Mediterranean grasslands and rangelands139Evaluation of the competition between alfalfaand sainfoin sown in mixtureI. Delgado1,*, F. Muñoz1 and D. Andueza2,31Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de AragónAvda. Montañana 930. 50059 Zaragoza (Spain)2INRA-UMR1213 Herbivores, F-63122 Saint Genès Champanelle (France)3Clermont Université,VetAgro Sup.-UMR Herbivores, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand (France)*e-mail: idelgado@aragon.esAbstract. Alfalfa and sainfoin are pluriannual forage legumes that are well adapted to the agronomic condi-tions of NE Spain. However the persistence of sainfoin decreased when sown with alfalfa in mixture. It couldbe attributed to the fact that the cutting frequency was more suitable for alfalfa. In order to evaluate the per-sistence of sainfoin in mixture, the evolution of the annual forage yield in these species was compared, whensown in pure stands or using two types of mixtures, on alternate rows or mixed on the same row. Two har-vesting rates were established, one that was most suited to alfalfa and the other to sainfoin. The study wasconducted in rainfed conditions in Badules (Teruel) and under irrigation in Zaragoza during 2011-2013. Theresults confirm the lower yields and persistence of sainfoin when mixed with alfalfa under irrigation, whichcould be attributed to the allelopathic effects of alfalfa on sainfoin. There is no evidence of allelopathic phe-nomena arising in rainfed conditions in the two sowing modes employed. Cutting frequency had no influenceon the occurrence of allelopathic phenomena.Keywords. Medicago sativa L. – Onobrychis viciifolia Scop. – Dry matter – Crude protein – Allelopathy.Évaluation de la compétition entre la luzerne et le sainfoin semés en mélangeRésumé. La luzerne et le sainfoin sont des légumineuses fourragères pluriannuelles bien adaptées auxconditions agronomiques du nord-est de l’Espagne. Il a été constaté que la persistance du sainfoin diminuequand il est semé en mélange avec la luzerne. Cela est généralement attribué à la fréquence de coupes dufourrage, qui serait plus adaptée à la pousse de la luzerne. L’objectif de cette étude était d’évaluer la persis-tance du sainfoin, et le rendement annuel des fourrages obtenus à partir de cultures pures de luzerne et desainfoin ou des mélanges luzerne-sainfoin. Deux types de mélanges ont été testés : les deux espèces ontété semées en lignes alternées ou mélangées dans la même ligne. Les parcelles ont été coupées à deuxstades de maturité de la luzerne, début de floraison ou pleine floraison. L’étude a été réalisée en conditionsnaturelles à Badules (Espagne) ou en irrigation à Saragosse (Espagne) pendant la période 2011-2013. Sousirrigation, le rendement et la persistance du sainfoin ont été plus faibles dans les mélanges luzerne-sainfoin.Ces résultats peuvent être attribués aux effets allélopathiques de la luzerne sur le sainfoin. Par ailleurs, enconditions naturelles, les effets allélopathiques n’ont pas été mis en évidence.Mots-clés. Medicago sativa L. – Onobrychis viciifolia Scop. – Matière sèche – Protéine – Allopathie.I – IntroductionAlfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) are pluriannual foragelegumes that are well adapted to the agronomic conditions of NE Spain. They are particularly val-ued for their yield, their ability to restore soil fertility and their feed value (Aufrère et al., 2013).Alfalfa is furthermore characterized by the proportional distribution of its annual forage yield andits persistence, however it has the disadvantage that it causes bloating in animals; for sainfoinmost of its forage yield is obtained from the first cut in spring, used for hay-making, and it is val-ued for its hardiness and not-bloating qualities. Given these complementing characteristics, it hasbeen suggested that both species should be included in meadows in the Ebro valley (Hycka andBenítez-Sidón, 1979; Delgado et al., 2009). However persistence of sainfoin decreases whensown with alfalfa in a mixture and this has been attributed to the cutting frequency at the start ofblooming in alfalfa (Hycka and Benítez-Sidón, 1979; Delgado et al., 2009).This practice may beindirectly detrimental to the persistence of sainfoin since it blooms later than alfalfa and its opti-mal use is recommended at full bloom (Koch et al., 1972; Borreani et al., 2003), furthermore thiscutting frequency gives the plant less time to recover its nutrient reserves.The lack of persistence of sainfoin when sown with alfalfa may also be due to allelopathic pheno -mena between the two species. Both alfalfa and sainfoin display strong allelopathic effects withother species (Chung and Miller, 1995; Li, 2009). Chocarro y Lloveras (2012) compared allelopathiceffects between alfalfa and sainfoin, finding that alfalfa has a greater allelopathic effect on sain-foin, which may be one of the causes for the rapid disappearance of sainfoin in meadows that alsocontain alfalfa. In order to assess the persistence of sainfoin in a mixture, the species dynamics,in terms of annual forage yield, was compared when sown in pure stands and using two types ofmixtures, on alternate rows and mixed in the same row, in two standard sites, under irrigation andin rainfed high lands.II – Materials and methodsThe study was conducted in rainfed conditions in Badules (41°9’N; 11°15’W, altitude 930 m a.s.l.)and under irrigation in Zaragoza (41°3’N; 0°47’W, altitude 225 m a.s.l.) during 2011-2013. InBadules climatic and edaphologic conditions showed monthly mean temperatures of 8.9ºC minand 18.5ºC max, annual precipitations of 320.6 mm, loam soil, salinity 0.2 CE (1:5 dδ/m), pH(H2O) 8.5, P (Olsen) 18 mg/kg, K (extracted in NH4NO3) 250 mg/kg and organic matter 2.33%.Conditions in Zaragoza were monthly mean temperatures of 21.4ºC max and 8.1ºC min, annualprecipitations of 245.7 mm, silty-loam soil, salinity 0.24 CE (1:5 dδ/m), pH (H2O) 8.24, P (Olsen)7 mg/kg, K (extracted in NH4NO3) 134 mg/kg and organic matter 1.99%.Two cultivars of alfalfa were tested: ‘Tierra de Campos’, under rainfed conditions and ‘Aragón’ un -der irrigation, and one “two-cut” type sainfoin cultivar from Reznos (Soria). The cultivars weresown in plots of 5 x 2 m, in pure stands or using two types of mixtures, on alternate rows and mixedin the same row, with two cutting frequencies: alfalfa at early bloom and at full bloom, in four repli-cations. Sowing took place on 11 March 2011 in Badules and 21 October 2010 in Zaragoza,using, for the pure stands of alfalfa a sowing rate of 15 kg ha-1 in rainfed conditions and 30 kgha-1 under irrigation, and 80 kg ha-1 and 100 kg ha-1 respectively for sainfoin. The mixture com-prised 50% seed density of both species in each of the conditions. An N-P-K basic dressing of20-37.5-37.5 kg ha-1 in rainfed conditions and 40-75-75 kg ha-1 in irrigated conditions was appliedthe first year and both quantities were replicate in winter every two years in rainfed conditionsand every year in irrigated conditions.Dry matter (DM) was obtained by cutting two 0.5 m2 per plot and drying in a forced ventilationstove at 60ºC until a constant weight was achieved. Dry samples were used to determine crudeprotein (CP) contents, evaluated by the Dumas method (AOAC, 1990) and neutral detergent fibre(NDF), evaluated by the Van Soest method (Van Soest et al., 1991). Mortality rate is presentedas the percentage of dead plants at the end of the trial.The results underwent a variance analysis according to a split-plot model, considering “species”on the main plot and “cutting frequency” on the split-plot. The statistical analysis was performedusing the ANOVA procedure of the SAS statistical package (SAS, 2004), considering the cuttingdate as treatment. Comparison of means was performed by the LSD test. The percentages werearcsine-transformed prior to statistical analysis.Options Méditerranéennes, A, no. 109, 2014140III – Results and discussionTable 1 shows the mean annual DM yield and CP and NDF contents in the first three productiveyears under irrigation and two years in rainfed conditions (the sowing year has not been consid-ered as productive given that the establishment of the trials in these conditions is a slow process).Forage resources and ecosystem services provided by Mountainand Mediterranean grasslands and rangelands141Table 1. Annual dry matter yield (DM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fibre content (NDF),three years mean under irrigation and two years mean in rained conditions. In brackets, thepercentage of alfalfa (L) in the mixtureLocationZaragoza (irrigation) Badules (rainfed)DM kg/ha %CP %NDF DM kg/ha % CP %NDFSpeciesAlfalfa on pure stand 11931a 20.4 a 41.0 b 3964 ab 19.7 a 37.9 aSainfoin on pure stand 9456 b 17.8 c 43.1 a 4292 a 16.1 c 38.0 aAlfalfa and sainfoin on alternate rows 11675 19.9 b 41.5 b 3857 b a 18.3 b 37.9 a(87.9% L) (61.9% L)Alfalfa and sainfoin on mixed rows 12043 a 19.9 b 41.6 b 3763 b 18.6 b 37.9 a(89.6% L) (66.3% L)Species significance *** *** ** * *** NSCutting frequencyEarly bloom of alfalfa 11453 a 19.9 a 41.1 b 3752 b 19.0 a 37.0 b(90.4% L) (68.5% L)Full bloom of alfalfa 11099 a 19.1 b 42.5 a 4186 a 17.4 b 38.5 a(87.0% L) (59.7% L)Cutting frecuency significance NS *** *** ** *** ***Species x Cutting frequency interaction NS ** NS NS NS NS* P<0.05, ** P<0.01, *** P<0.001, NS: non significant. Different letters within each column indicate P<0.05%.The results show that alfalfa is more productive (P<0.001) than sainfoin under irrigation but inrainfed conditions alfalfa and sainfoin yields were the same. The two cutting frequencies estab-lished to benefit either alfalfa or sainfoin, did not show any significantly greater yields under irri-gation although it did in rainfed conditions where the delay in cutting afforded a greater yield ofdry matter (P<0.01).When alfalfa and sainfoin were sown in a mixture, the mixture yield was not significantly differentto that of the pure stands of alfalfa, both under irrigation and in rainfed conditions. The percent-age participation of each species in the mixture varied substantially. Under irrigation alfalfaaccounted for 89% of the yield since after the first year sainfoin disappeared from the mixture.This would explain why the forage CP content was closer to that of alfalfa than sainfoin. In rain-fed conditions, the DM yield participation of sainfoin in the mixture was 40% when the cutting fre-quency was carried out with alfalfa in full bloom, this being significantly greater (P<0.01) com-pared to its 31% participation when cutting took place at early bloom of alfalfa.These results corroborate the findings of other authors (Monserrat, 1956; Martiniello, 1998; Peelet al., 2004; Delgado et al., 2008), in so far as alfalfa is more productive under irrigation than sain-foin but has the same yield as sainfoin in rainfed conditions. With regard to the mixture of the twospecies, sainfoin quickly disappeared under irrigation and this can be attributed mainly to theallelopathic effects of alfalfa on sainfoin and not to the maturity state of the plants at the time ofcutting. Although sainfoin did not adapt well to irrigated conditions, its yield was much higherwhen sown alone compared to when it was sown in a mixture (100% mortality the second year).However, the percentage of sainfoin plants present in the pure stand by the third year was 19%vs 37% of alfalfa plants. The mortality of sainfoin, both in the pure stand and in the mixtures waslower in rainfed conditions. At the end of the third year the persistence of sainfoin in the purestand was 25% vs 62% alfalfa when cutting was carried out at the start of blooming and 17% vs57% respectively when cutting was carried out at full bloom. The progressive disappearance ofsainfoin in the mixture in rainfed conditions, from the first to the third year, could be attributed tothe lower persistence of sainfoin rather than to allelopathic effects. Such effects would indeed bemore active under irrigation due to the fact that irrigation, which encourages the dispersion ofallelopathic chemical components and greater intensity of production, may well accelerate allelo-pathic actions (de Albuquerque et al., 2011).IV – ConclusionsThe interest held by alfalfa under irrigation and alfalfa and sainfoin in rainfed conditions can beconfirmed. There is not evidence that frequency cutting impact on disappearance of sainfoin inthe mixture, but their disappearance under irrigation could be attributed to allelopathic phenom-ena. In rainfed conditions there is no evidence of allelopathic phenomena.AcknowledgementsThis study has been supported by the projects RTA2009-63-C2 and RTA2012-80.ReferencesAOAC, 1990. Official Methods of Analysis, 15th ed. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Arlington, V.A.(USA).Aufrère J., Dudilieu M. Andueza D., Poncet C. and Baumont R., 2013. Mixing sainfoin and lucerne to improvethe feed value of legumes fed to sheep by the effect of condensed tannins. In: Animal, 7(1), p. 82-92.Borreani G., Peiretti P. and Tabacco E., 2003. Evolution of yield and quality of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifo-lia Scop.) in the spring growth cycle. In: Agronomie, 23, p. 193-201.Chocarro C. and Lloveras J., 2012. Efecto alelopático de la esparceta (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) sobre difer-entes especies forrajeras, 149-161. In: Nuevos retos de la ganadería extensiva: un agente de conservaciónen peligro de extinción, R.M. Canals y L. San Emeterio (eds). Ed. SEEP. ISBN:978-84-9769-277-9.Chung I.M. and Miller D.A., 1995. Natural herbicide potential of alfalfa residue on selected weed species.In: Agronomy Journal, 87(5), p. 920-925.de Albuquerque M.B., dos Santos R.C. Lima L.M., Melo Filho P.A., Nogueira R.J.M.C., da CamaraC.A.G. and Ramos A.R., 2011. Allelopathy, an alternative tool to improve cropping systems. A review.In: Agron. Sustain. Dev., 31, p. 379-395.Delgado I., Andrés C. and Muñoz F., 2008. Effect of the environmental conditions on different morphologi-cal and agronomical characteristics of sainfoin. In: Options Méditerranéennes, Series A, 79, p. 199-202.Delgado I., Congost S. and Nuez T., 2009. Producción estacional de praderas en tierras de secano delMaestrazgo Turolense. In: La multifuncionalidad de los pastos: Producción ganadera sostenible y gestiónde los ecosistemas, 351-357. Ed. SEEP, Huesca. ISBN: 978-84-612-9337-7.Hycka M. and Benitez-Sidon J.M., 1979. Estudio de seis mezclas pratenses en el secano aragones. In:Anales de la Estación Experimental de Aula Dei, 14(3/4), p. 395-416.Koch D., Dotzenko A. and Hinze G., 1972. Influence of three cutting systems on the yield, water use effi-ciency, and forage quality of sainfoin. In: Agronomy Journal, 64, p. 463-467.Li R., 2009. Allelopathy of Roth exudates of Onobrychis viciaefolia on 7 kinds of weed. In: Journal of AnhuiAgricultural Science, 37(15), p. 7059-7061.Martiniello P., 1998. Influence of agronomic factors on the relationship between forage production and seed yieldin perennial forage grasses and legumes in a Mediterranean environment. In: Agronomie, 18, p. 591-601.Peel M.D., Asay K.H. Johnson D.A. and Waldron B.L., 2004. Forage production of sainfoin across an irri-gation gradient. In: Crop Science, 44(2), p. 614-619.SAS, 2004. NC, USA, SAS OnlineDoc® 9.1.3.Van Soest P.J., Robertson J.B. and Lewis B.A., 1991. Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, andnonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. In: Journal of Dairy Science, 74, p. 3583-3597.Options Méditerranéennes, A, no. 109, 2014142

Evaluation of the competition between alfalfa and sainfoin sown in mixture

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Evaluation of the competition between alfalfa and sainfoin sown in mixture

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citaREA Repositorio Electrónico Agroalimentario