Evaluation of Yield and Forage Quality in Intercropping of Millet (Panicum miliaceum L) with Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) and Vetch (Vicia villosa L) under Application of Magnetic Water

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Member of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Payame noor, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Eco-physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran.

3 Dept. of Plant Eco. Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

4 Professor/Department of Plant Ecophysiology/Faculty of Agriculture/ University of Tabriz

Abstract

Background and Objective: One way to sustainably increase forage production is to use intercropping patterns of forage crops, which can help maintain biodiversity and resource efficiency. Forage quality also indicates the nutritional value and amount of energy available to livestock, or rather, it indicates the amount of nutrients that the animal obtains from the forage in the shortest possible time.The present research was carried out in order to evaluate the forage yield and quality of millet, bean and vetch in intercropping and application of magnetic water.
 
Materials and Methods: The experiment was conducted in the years of 2019 and 2020 in the research farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz. Experimental design was factorial based on randomized complete blocks with three replications. The first factor included two types of irrigation (normal water and magnetic water with an intensity of 430 mtesla) and the sub-factor included seven cropping systems (intercropping of millet and beans with a ratio of 2:1 (two rows of millet and one row of beans), and 4:1 (four rows of millet and one row of beans), intercropping of millet and vetch with a ratio of 2:1 (two rows of millet and one row of vetch) and intercropping 4:1 (four rows of millet and one row of vetch)). The traits studied included ash content, crude protein, NDF, forage yield, and the LER index was calculated to evaluate intercropping advantage.
 
Results: The results showed that the highest NDF (47%) was obtained in pure millet cultivation and the highest ash (5.2%) and crude protein (15.8%) were obtained in the intercropping of millet-bean (ratio 4:1) and millet-vetch (ratio 4:1) using magnetized water. The application of magnetized water increased the crude protein by 22% and the forage quality by 18% on average compared to conventional irrigation. Magnetic irrigation and cropping system had significant effects on the characteristics (p < 0.01). The intercropping of millet-bean (ratio 2:1) and millet- vetch (ratio 4:1) showed a 25% and 30% increase in protein and yield, respectively, compared to the mono cropping.
 
Conclusion: The application of magnetized water improved the forage quality and increased the protein content. All intercropping systems showed advantage compare to mono cropping on LER.
 

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Journal of Agricultural Science and Sustainable Production
Volume 35, Issue 2
July 2025
Pages 295-316

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