Influence of Green Manuring From Different Cover Crops and Farm Yard Manures on Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Forage Corn in Low Input Farming

An appropriate sustainable agricultural technology system is an important technical support of the promotion of sustainable agricultural development. Properly management of residues can warrant the improvement of sustainability in crop productivity. This experiment was conducted to study the effects of green and from manures of forage and chemical characteristics of corn. The research was conducted in 2011 at Experimental Field of Islamic Azad University, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Isfahan, Iran. A strip layout in randomized complete block design with three replications was used. The experiment was related to the effects of green manures of barley, rye, triticale and clover, two levels of farm yard manure, namely, 30 and 60 t/ha and one treatment of chemical fertilizer as control. Treatment were arranged in main strip and decomposition time of manures in two levels, one and four weeks after returning to the soil were considered subplots. Cover crops had significant influence on stem diameter, ear height, final plant height, leaf and stem fresh weights, stem and ear dry weights, fresh forage yield, leaf nitrate and protein content. Moreover, fresh forage yield, biological yield, leaf nitrate, stem nitrate, protein and ash were influenced by different managements. The highest plant height, leaf, ear and stem fresh weights, ear, stem and ear dry weights were related to barley green manure treatment. The maximum stem diameter, plant height, ear fresh weight, leaf, stem and ear dry weights were obtained in the treatment of four weeks of residue retention. The highest biological yield and fiber percentage of forage corn were observed in the treatment of residue retention for four weeks and crop residue incorporation, respectively. Besides, there were no significant differences for characteristics between mentioned above treatments and residue burning. The highest fresh forage yield, protein and ash percentages were achieved in residue burning treatment. In conclusion, it seems that residue burning accompanied with usage of triticale as a green manure was the best choice to achieve high quality, but for obtaining the highest fresh forage yield and biological yield of forage corn, triticale plantation can be replaced by barley