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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Sunflower and Plant Biology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #383583
Research Project: Biology of Weed-Crop Interactions to Improve Weed Management Strategies in Northern Agro-ecosystems

Location: Sunflower and Plant Biology Research

Title: Corn-alfalfa intercropping with different row spacings

Author
item BIBBY, SAMUEL - North Dakota State University
item BERTI, MARISOL - North Dakota State University
item WICK, ABBEY - North Dakota State University
item Horvath, David
item Anderson, James
item WITTENBERG, ALEX - North Dakota State University
item GREENBERG, AMY - North Dakota State University
item MOZEA, KENNETH - North Dakota State University

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/8/2021
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a staple crop grown by many dairy and beef farmers and some crop farmers in the northern Great Plains. The seeding year for alfalfa is almost always the least productive and often only provides one to two cuttings in the northern Great Plains. To determine if seeding alfalfa with corn (Zea mays L.) could increase alfalfa yield in the second year, and provide a corn crop during the first year, an experiment was conducted in Prosper and Hickson, North Dakota during the years of 2020 and 2021. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replicates at each location. Treatments included alfalfa alone, corn alone at 76.2- and 152.4-cm row spacings and corn intercropped with alfalfa at 76.2- and 152.4-cm row spacings. The overall scale of success within these treatments is measured in corn grain yield in the first year and alfalfa establishment and forage yield in Year 2. In the year 2020, corn planted with 152.4-cm row spacing yielded 16% less than corn with 76.2-cm row spacing; however, there was no significant difference in corn yield with or without an alfalfa intercrop. Data collected on each experimental unit also includes measurements of water stress, weed suppression, and soil health. The data sets collected over this two-year study will allow for more specific recommendations regarding alfalfa-corn intercropping. Optimizing this specific cropping system for growers in the northern Great Plains could increase profitability as well as forage nutritive value and crop efficiency.