Effect of undersowing winter wheat with legumes on the yield and quality of subsequent winter triticale crops

Summary

The study presents results of a series of trials investigating the effects of undersowing nitrogen fixing crops (legumes) into winter wheat on the performance of the subsequent crop winter triticale. Trials were carried out between 2003 and 2006 at two sites in southern Bavaria, Germany. All species tested - black medic, birdsfoot trefoil, red clover, white clover and a legume-grass mixture - proved to be suitable. Compared to the “not-undersown” control treatment the undersown N-fixing crops had no statistically significant effect on the yield, protein content and other grain quality characteristics of the winter wheat crop, except for one site where protein yield was significantly higher in one year. There was also no difference in disease incidence between “undersown” and “not-undersown” winter wheat. Depending on the seasonal rainfall pattern the establishment of N-fixing crops in wheat had either a negative or a positive effect on the yield of the subsequent crop of winter triticale. Reductions in yield only occurred in the 03/04 season, which had an extremely dry summer in 2003. In the seasons 04/05 and 05/06, which had a more favourable distribution of annual precipitation, the establish¬ment of certain legume crops increased the yield and protein content of winter triticale; however the effect was not statistically significant for all years and sites.