Effect of an oat companion crop on irrigated alfalfa yield and economic returns in southwestern Saskatchewan

Jefferson, P. G.; Zentner, R. P.

doi:10.4141/cjps94-086

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…The NPV for NH was significantly higher than for HB. Jefferson and Zentner (1994) found similar results for alfalfa establishment using oat grain and forage companion crops under irrigation. Returns were found to be generally higher when the oat companion crop was harvested for hay, but this depended upon the price of oat hay, oat grain and alfalfa hay.…”

Section: Overall Net Present Valuesupporting

confidence: 63%

“…There was an economic benefit under irrigation to include a companion crop in both the short and long term. Jefferson and Zentner (1994) found that higher forage yields after establishment when no companion crop was included would have to persist for at least 2 yr to be more profitable than establishment with a companion crop. Moyer et al (1995) found that firstyear yields after establishment with a companion grain crop on irrigation at Lethbridge, Alberta were reduced by about 33%, but subsequent cuttings were not affected.…”

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confidence: 98%

“…An irrigation study at Swift Current, Saskatchewan using oat (Avena sativa L.) as the companion crop found that first-cut yields the second year were 0-50% lower with the companion crop (Jefferson and Zentner 1994). Yields for subsequent cuts and years were not affected by companion crops.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The effect of companion crops and herbicides on economic returns of alfalfa-bromegrass establishment

Smith¹,

Barbieri²,

Moyer³

et al. 1997

Can. J. Plant Sci.

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. 1997. The effect of companion crops and herbicides on economic returns of alfalfa-bromegrass establishment. Can J. Plant Sci. 77: 231-235. In moist regions and under irrigation in western Canada, there may be an economic advantage to using companion crops in forage establishment. Economic returns of establishing a mixture of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and bromegrass (Bromus spp.) were determined with and without a companion crop of barley grain and silage (Hordeum vulgare L.) and with and without post-emergence herbicides at Westlock, Alberta under dryland, and with and without a companion crop of soft white spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and with and without post emergence herbicides at Lethbridge, Alberta under irrigation conditions. The yearly economic benefit of companion crops was greater on irrigation than on dryland ($15 to $27 ha -1 ), higher for companion crops harvested for silage than for grain ($55 to $75 ha -1 ), and was dependent on the price of forage and grain. On dryland with medium product price levels, economic returns were 100% higher for a barley silage companion crop, and were 14% lower for a barley grain companion crop than without a companion crop. At high hay prices, returns for the barley silage companion crop were 5% higher than without a companion crop. On irrigation, the yearly economic returns with a companion crop were higher ($23 to $139 ha -1 ) than without a companion crop. The use of post-emergence herbicides had no long-term economic benefit for forage establishment and reduced yearly net returns $13 ha -1 on dryland and $41 ha -1 on irrigation. A Lethbridge, l'expérience était conduite sous irrigation et la culture-abri utilisée était le blé blanc mou de printemps (Triticum aestivum L.) Les avantages économiques annuels des cultures-abri étaient plus prononcés en régime irrigué qu'en culture sèche (15 à 27 $ ha de plus) ainsi que lorsque la culture-abri était récoltée comme ensilage plutôt qu'à maturité (55 à 75 $ ha -1 de plus), tout dépendant du prix des fourrages et du grain. En culture sèche, avec des prix du produit moyen le rendement économique était 100 % plus élevé avec culture-abri d'orge récoltée pour ensilage et 14 % plus bas avec une culture-abri d'orge récoltée à maturité que sans culture-abri. Lorsque le prix du foin était plus fort, le rendement économique lié à l'utilisation d'une culture-abri pour ensilage était de 5 % supérieur à celui du système sans culture-abri. En régime irrigué, le rendement économique annuel avec culture-abri était plus élevé (23 à 139 $ ha -1 de plus) que sans culture-abri. L'emploi d'herbicides de postlevée ne produisait pas d'avantages économiques à long terme pour l'installation de la prairie et réduisait le rendement net annuel de 13 $ ha -1 en culture sèche et de 41 $ en régime irrigué.Mots clés: Culture-abri, installation de culture fourragère, économie, herbicide Companion crops are often used when establishing forages, but the current recommendation for the Canadian prairies is not to use companion crops, especially u...

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Section: Overall Net Present Valuesupporting

confidence: 63%

mentioning

confidence: 98%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The effect of companion crops and herbicides on economic returns of alfalfa-bromegrass establishment

Smith¹,

Barbieri²,

Moyer³

et al. 1997

Can. J. Plant Sci.

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“…The use of companion crops at Nipawin increased the 2-yr net returns by $72 ha -1 at the low forage price and by $19 ha -1 at the medium forage price, but at the high forage price their use reduced average net returns by $33 ha -1 . By comparison, under conditions when water is non-limiting, Jefferson and Zentner (1994) reported that economic returns in the establishment year were highest when alfalfa was grown with an oat (Avena sativa L.) companion crop that was harvested for hay, but when evaluated over a 3-yr period, they found little difference among direct-seeded and the companion crop methods Table 10. Two-year production costs and net returns for companion crops by soil zone in Saskatchewan ness to survive more than one Saskatchewan winter and the resulting yield of Nitro alfalfa-grass mixtures was generally similar to grass monoculture.…”

Section: Economic Returnsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Companion crop establishment of short-lived perennial forage crops in Saskatchewan

Jefferson¹,

Lyons²,

Pastl³

et al. 2005

Can. J. Plant Sci.

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. 2005. Companion crop establishment of short-lived perennial forage crops in Saskatchewan. Can. J. Plant Sci. 85: 135-146. Short-lived perennial forages may provide producers with a cash hay crop as a viable option to diversify annual grain rotations. Little or no information on alternative annual crops for companion crop establishment of forages is available for Saskatchewan conditions. We evaluated field pea (Pisum sativum), canola (Brassica napus), and Westerwolds ryegrass (Lolium westerwoldicum) as companion crops over 3 yr (1998)(1999)(2000) at three Saskatchewan sites: Swift Current (Brown soil zone), Saskatoon (Dark Brown) and Nipawin (Dark Gray). We also compared three short-lived, vigourous grass species in mixture with two alfalfa (Medicago sativa) cultivars or monoculture. Combinations of precipitation and temperature variables combined with companion crop plant density and biomass explained 90% of the variation in forage yield loss relative to no companion crop forage yield. We conclude that companion crops can be used with low yield reductions at Nipawin, but that all three companion crops significantly reduced forage yield at Swift Current. Forage seedling density was reduced under companion crops but the decline in forage seedling density did not explain the reduction in forage yield. We speculate that yield components rather than plant density must have been affected by companion crop competition. Intermediate wheatgrass (Elytrigia intermedia) produced higher forage yield than Dahurian wildrye (Elymus dahuricus) or slender wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus). Grass-alfalfa mixtures produced higher forage yield than grass monoculture. Economic returns were superior if no companion crop was used to establish the forages at Swift Current and Saskatoon; but, at Nipawin economic returns were generally higher with companion crop establishment. The feasibility of companion crops for establishment of short-lived perennial forages in Saskatchewan thus depends on soil zone, with their use best suited to the more humid regions.Key words: Forage yield, plant density, weather, economics Jefferson, P. G., Lyons, G., Pastl, R. et Zentner, R. P. 2005. Les plantes associées dans les cultures de vivaces fourragères de courte pérennité en Saskatchewan. Can. J. Plant Sci. 85: 135-146. Pour les agriculteurs, les vivaces fourragères de courte péren-nité pourraient devenir une option valable comme culture fourragère monnayable pour diversifier les assolements annuels de céréales. Pourtant, on ne sait rien ou pas grand-chose des cultures annuelles qui faciliteraient l'établissement de plantes associées dans les conditions particulières de la Saskatchewan. Les auteurs ont évalué l'utilité du pois de grande culture (Pisum sativum), du canola (Brassica napus) et du ray-grass de type Westerworlds (Lolium westerwoldicum) comme plantes associées pendant trois ans (de 1998 à 2000) à trois endroits de la Saskatchewan : Swift Current (sols bruns), Saskatoon (sols brun foncé) et Nipawin (sols gris foncé). Ils ont aussi comparé troi...

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“…Understanding the mechanisms of plant tolerance to drought stress and developing high-yielding plant cultivars for drought conditions are critical research topics (Painawadee et al, 2009). Jefferson et al (1994) reported that sainfoin-alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) mixtures are not sustainable in semiarid environments because the seed mixture was dominated by alfalfa within 2 yr after seeding due to water stress. Jefferson et al (1994) reported that sainfoin-alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) mixtures are not sustainable in semiarid environments because the seed mixture was dominated by alfalfa within 2 yr after seeding due to water stress.…”

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confidence: 99%

Response to Drought Stress in Sainfoin: Within and Among Ecotype Variation

et al. 2015

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Ecotypes of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) have not been extensively studied, and knowledge about their variation is generally limited. In the present study, 100 sainfoin genotypes from 10 ecotypes were clonally propagated and evaluated under water‐stressed and nonstressed conditions for 2 yr. Among‐ and within‐ecotype variation plus heritability of agronomic, morphological, and physiological traits were estimated and the associations of traits were determined. For most of the measured traits among‐ and within‐ecotype effects were significant. The variance within ecotypes was at least four times higher for most of the measured traits when compared with variance among ecotypes. The within‐ecotype contribution was 67 to 71% for dry matter yield (DMY), 69% for number of stems per plant, and 69 to 91% for morphological traits. Large within‐ecotype variation for DMY and yield‐related traits could express yield stability across environments and maximize genetic progress per breeding cycle. The lowest heritability estimates were obtained for DMY and leaf‐to‐stem ratio, and the highest one was estimated for antioxidant activity and chlorophyll content. Water stress caused significant decrease in all measured traits except for carotenoid content, proline content, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activity. Genotypic differences for water‐stress tolerance identified in this study were mainly attributed to the ability of tolerant ecotypes to accumulate a greater amount of proline in their leaves in response to water stress. Dry matter yield had positive correlations with plant height, inflorescence length, number of stems per plant, and proline content under both moisture environments. On the basis of factor analysis, the first three factors in both environments were considered as “forage yield components,” “photosynthetic pigments,” and “antioxidant activity.” High within‐ecotype variation indicated the importance of selection within populations for suitable parental materials in sainfoin breeding. Baft was the best ecotype under both moisture environments in this respect.

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Effect of an oat companion crop on irrigated alfalfa yield and economic returns in southwestern Saskatchewan

Cited by 10 publications

References 4 publications

The effect of companion crops and herbicides on economic returns of alfalfa-bromegrass establishment

The effect of companion crops and herbicides on economic returns of alfalfa-bromegrass establishment

Companion crop establishment of short-lived perennial forage crops in Saskatchewan

Response to Drought Stress in Sainfoin: Within and Among Ecotype Variation

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