An investigation on the yield and quality performances of some rotation pasture mixtures under different harvest treatments

This rotation pasture study was conducted in the experimental fields of Field Crops Department of Agriculture Faculty in Ege University, Bornova, Izmir-Turkey under Mediterranean climatic conditions in the years 2004/05. Two grasses (Festuca arundinacea and Cynodon dactylon) and three legumes (Medicago sativa,Trifolium repens and Lotus corniculatus) were sown at different rates of mixtures in the same or alternate rows. Finally, they were compared under cutting or grazing regimes. F. arundinacea and M. sativa mixture was the most favourable alternative both under cutting (15.71 t ha-1 dry matter and 3.78 t ha-1 crude protein) and grazing (15.14 t ha-1 dry matter and 3.46 t ha-1 crude protein) practices. Furthermore, average yield performance of grazing treatments was higher than cutting in both years (12.44 t ha-1 dry matter and 18.73% crude protein). Mixture of Cd + Fa + Tr also displayed promising performance. However, this study suggests that further investigations has to be done for more detailed information. Key words: Pasture mixture, sowing technique, grazing, cutting.