THE EFFECT OF TWO ROTATION SYSTEMS ON ROUGHAGE, ENERGY AND PROTEIN FEED YIELD IN ORGANIC FORAGE CULTIVATION

Summary

Organic animal feed is the basic element for organic animal production. In our country, in organic animal feed farming, farmers generally prefer forage crops as by-products and do not follow an alternation system for animal feed production. They make feed production either as inter-crop or as second crop. For this reason, there is no production based on an alternation system in which the animal can meet all nutritional needs. In the same season in the production of organic animal feed, roughage, energy feed and protein feed are needed to meet all animal nutritional values. The cultivation of these feed plants can be achieved with a good rotation system. However, most of the farmers do not know which rotation system give more organic feed. For this reason, yields of some plants suitable for Aegean Region conditions have been examined in 2 different rotation systems. In this study carried out in Menemen Plain, in Aegean Region, Izmir, Turkey during a period of 4 years between 2013 and 2016 the effect of two different rotation systems on the roughage, energy and protein feed yields in organic feed cultivation was studied. According to the results of soil analysis, organic fertilizer containing 2 % N, 2.5 % P2O5, 2.5 % K2O, 60 % organic matter and 9/12 C/N was given to the plots. Fertilization was carried out so as not to exceed 170 kg / ha nitrogen as stated in the organic farming law. In the first rotation system vetch/triticale mixture - cotton, Persian clover - silage corn, vetch/triticale mixture - cotton and Persian clover - silage corn were evaluated. In the second rotation system vetch/triticale mixture - soybean, vetch/oats mixture - corn, vetch/triticale mixture - soybean and vetch/oats mixture - corn were evaluated. In both systems roughage (vetch/triticale mixture and Persian clover) yield decreased in consecutive years, but subsequent energy (maize) and protein feed (soybean and cotton seed) yields were increased