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This study documented the effects of barley companion crop seeding rate and cutting stage on alfalfa establishment in a highland area. Alfalfa was established with barley at seeding rates of 0, 60, 120 and 180 kg ha )1 and cut at the milk-dough and ripe grain stages. In most cases, hay yield and composition of herbage were affected by companion crop seeding rate and cutting stage. Total hay yield increased from 3294 to 5131 kg ha )1 when the companion crop seeding rate was increased from 0 to 180 kg ha )1 at the milk-dough stage. Legume and weed growth was suppressed by the companion crop during establishment, but using a barley companion crop decreased alfalfa plant losses in the seeding year. Few residual effects of barley were seen on hay yield in the subsequent year, but residual effects of companion crop treatments on weed suppression continued in all clippings of the second year. The results suggest that alfalfa should be sown with a barley companion crop in highland areas with adequate moisture. The seeding rate for barley is about the same as that for barley grown alone, and the companion crop could be harvested for hay or grain in the establishment year.

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Lucerne is consumed not only as hay, but it is also used as the raw material of concentrated food for livestock. This study investigated the effects of four cutting times (20, 40, 60 cm tall and at the beginning of flowering) and three stubble heights (base, 5 and 10 cm) on the dry matter (DM) and nitrogen (N) yields, the N content of tops, and nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) in roots of lucerne. The experiment was a 4 x 3 factorial in a randomised complete block design with four replications carried out at the Research Station of Agricultural Faculty, Ataturk University, in 1996 and 1997. The N content decreased while the DM and N yields of top and NSC content of the roots increased as the cutting height, and consequently plant maturity, increased. The lower stubble heights increased the DM and N yields, but they decreased the NSC contents in roots. Therefore, the highest DM yield (12 660 kg ha -1 ) was taken when lucerne was harvested at the beginning of flowering and cut from the base.