Grain Yield and Total Protein Content of Organically Grown Oats–Vetch Mixtures Depending on Soil Type and Oats’ Cultivar

Abstract

The yield and quality of crop mixtures depend on natural and agrotechnical factors and their relationships. This research aimed to analyze the grain yield, its components and total protein content of the organically grown oat–vetch mixture on two different soils and depending on the oat cultivar. The three-year field experiment with two crop rotations was carried out. The experiment was set up in the southern Poland on two soils: Stagnic Luvisol (S.L.) and Haplic Cambisol (H.C.). One of four oat cultivars (‘Celer’, ‘Furman’, ‘Grajcar’ and ‘Kasztan’) was grown with the common vetch cv. ‘Hanka’. The results showed that the grain yield of mixtures was affected mainly by weather conditions. During the dry season, the share of vetch in the grain yield was 46% lower than in the season of regular rainfall. The share of vetch seeds in the mixture’s yield was ca. 21% higher when the mixtures were grown on the S.L. than the H.C. soil. The selection of oats’ cultivar for the mixture with vetch affected significantly the thousand seed mass and protein content in the vetch seeds, 46.2–50.4 g and 270–280 g kg−1, respectively. The mixture with Kasztan cultivar yielded the best and this oat cultivar seemed to be the most appropriate for organic conditions; however, in years with high variability of rainfall distribution its usefulness was less.

Forage Yield and Composition of Black Oat in Monoculture and in Association With Winter Vetch

“…During the second cycle, even the first cuts in all harvest management options were made on average 19 d earlier in the monoculture and 35 d earlier in the association than during the first cycle (Table 2). As documented in other research conducted in associated crops (Puzynska et al, 2021) and monocultures (Solomon et al, 2017), it is evident that climatic variations (in temperature and precipitation) between evaluation years affect FY. The productive advantage of the monoculture versus the association is explained by the fact that in the monoculture there were four more cuts in the first cycle and one more cut in the second cycle than in the association.…”

Productive and Ecological Aspects of Mixed Cropping System

“…Various species provide complimentary use of environmental resources in a mixture in contrast to pure stands. The recent findings confirmed the benefits of intercropping, such as increased nitrogen uptake by cereals cultivated in a mixture with legumes [1][2][3], and more efficient use of water and nutrients in soil profile [4]. Different species in the mixtures also use field space more effectively [5], i.e., in weather conditions unfavorable for the growth of one species, the companion crop usually grows better [6,7].…”

“…Moreover, none of the species should be too aggressive, especially when mixed with a more valuable protein plant. In the case of well-established mixtures, e.g., oats-common vetch, where cereal component is more competitive toward the legume one, a proper selection of oat cultivars may also significantly affect the quantity and quality of the mixture's yield, i.e., protein content [1]. The oats-common vetch mixtures develop higher LAI and give a higher seed yield in the conventional farming system; however, the share of vetch seeds in the mixtures is higher in the organic system than in the conventional one [2].…”

The Performance of Oat-Vetch Mixtures in Organic and Conventional Farming Systems

“…Only a few studies discuss the influence of oat cultivar selection on the yield of the oat-vetch mixture, e.g., [48]. In our previous studies, we have shown that the oat cultivar is crucial for a good vetch yield, which is also influenced by the type of soil [49]. The share of vetch seeds in the mixture with oats is variable and influenced by several factors [50][51][52].…”