Forage Yield as Affected by Mixing Rates of Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) With Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum ) Grown in Sandy Soil.

Two field experiments were conducted during the winter seasons of 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 in Research and Production Station of National Research Centre, Al Emam Malek Village, Al Nubaria District, Al Behaira Governorate, Egypt. Experiments aimed to study potential of mixture of Egyptian clover with ryegrass to increase forage yield and its quality grown under sandy soil conditions. Five treatments were used i.e ryegrass (pure stand) 12kg seeds/fed., clover (pure stand) 20kg seeds/fed., ¼ Ryegrass +¾ clover, ½ Ryegrass +½ clover and ¾ Ryegrass +¼ clover. Fresh and dry forage yield/fed. were determined for the three cuts as ton /fed. (First cut 60 days after sowing, second 50 days from the first while third cut 40 days later.) during the two seasons. Chemical composition and nutritional evaluation for dry forage yield was conducted. The obtained results showed that treatment of mixing ¾ clover + ¼ ryegrass mixture was the best treatment in fresh and dry yields as well as chemical components and nutritive evaluation i.e. crude protein, crude fiber, ether extract,nitrogen free extract, ash, digestible crude protein and total digestible nutrient in both seasons (as combined analysis of two seasons).