Non-Peer ReviewedPerennial forage crops are not traditionally grown in crop rotations in the Brown soil
zone for several reasons: i) they are slow to establish; ii) they require intensive tillage to
terminate; and iii) they reduce yield of subsequent crops. Short-lived perennial forages
that possess rapid establishment characteristics could be used for 3 years of hay
production with easier rotation to an annual crop. An experiment seeded in 1998 at the
Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre with three short-lived grasses grown in
monoculture or with two alfalfa cultivars was terminated by herbicide or tillage in May
2002, and subsequently seeded to barley. Visual observations prior to stand
termination indicated that slender wheatgrass (SWG) and Dahurian wildrye (DWR)
ground cover had declined but intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) was generally over 90%
of the original. Barley yield was 17 bu/ac on plots previously in IWG compared to 26
and 28 bu/ac on plots previously in DWR and SWG, respectively. IWG reduced straw
yield, harvest index, and test weight compared to SWG and DWG. Grass mixtures
with Beaver alfalfa yielded 30 bu/ac compared to 21 and 19 bu/ac for Nitro alfalfa and
grass monocultures. Barley grown on previously Beaver alfalfa mixtures also had
higher straw yield, harvest index, and test weight compared to that grown on plots from
the other two mixtures. These preliminary results suggest that short-lived grasses
(DWR and SWG) may fit in crop rotations better than longer lived species (IWG) and
that inclusion of alfalfa may, in fact, increase subsequent barley yields in this semiarid
region
