By Dave Rogers
Scientists at Nottingham Trent University, the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in Ethiopia and Ethiopia's Jimma University wanted to explore the benefits of growing oats and alfalfa together, as opposed to separately, and without irrigation or fertilizer. The research is published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
The research aimed to go beyond conventional feed evaluation by considering not only the nutritional and fermentation characteristics but also the potential contribution to animal growth and greenhouse gas production.
The research team evaluated sole oat, sole alfalfa and oat-alfalfa seed ratios of 3:1, 1:1 and 1:3 under strict rainfed, low-input conditions with no fertilization and found that growing in equal proportions produced the best overall results, increasing forage yields and nutritional value while also improving soil properties.
The 1:1 intercrops produced 21% more dry matter—the total weight of the crop after water is removed—than oats grown in a monoculture, the study revealed.
The 1:1 intercrop also had a more balanced nutritional profile, yielding higher levels of crude protein and metabolizable energy, alongside reduced neutral detergent fiber, which is important for animal nutrition.
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