KSU TARIM VE DOGA DERGISI-KSU JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURE, cilt.23, sa.2, ss.336-342, 2020 (ESCI)
In a 2-year study, it was determined how winter planting various forage legumes (Hungarian vetch, narbon vetch and forage pea) before applying nitrogen (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 kg N da(-1)) affected the yield components of silage maize grown afterward. Fallow was applied for control treatment. The results showed that among the forage legumes cultivated from October to May, forage peas afforded the highest fresh weight (4279 kg da(-1)) and the dry matter ratio (20.50%). However, narbon vetch affected all other yield components of silage maize except dry matter ratio more positively than the other legumes and increased the green yield by 30.3% compared yields achieved in control plots. The dry matter ratio of silage maize was higher in plots grown with Hungarian vetch and forage pea plots because of their later sowing and harvest times. Later, applying nitrogen positively affected the green yields of silage maize by up to 15 kg N da(-1). Such results readily apply to cultivating crops with high nitrogen demands (e.g., maize) in soils with low organic matter content. It was concluded that narbon vetch as a previous crop should be advised for silage maize and top-dressing of 15 kg N da(-1) could be beneficial for increasing green maize yield.