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Intercropping corn and soybean for high-protein silage in a cool temperate region

The overall hypothesis of this research was that silage biomass and protein yields would be higher in corn-soybean intercrops than in monocrops on the same land area. Yields, European corn borer infestation and N transfer were tested over tall and dwarf corn hybrids, nodulating and nonnodulating soybean genotypes and at 0, 60 and 120 kg N ha$ sp{-1}$. Land Equivalent Ratios ranged from 0.97 to 1.23, but most were higher than 1.10. Protein concentrations of corn-soybean silage, up to 10.76%, were on average 9.24% vs. 7.41% in corn silage. A general trend of higher protein yield ha$ sp{-1}$ in intercrops compared to corn monocrops was significant in 1986. Corn-soybean intercrops at 60 kg N ha$ sp{-1}$ and three population densities were $132 to $261 ha$ sp{-1}$ more cost effective than monocropped tall corn at 120 kg N ha$ sp{-1}$. European corn borer infestation was reduced by intercropping and was higher at 120 kg N ha$ sp{-1}$ than at 60 or 0 kg N ha$ sp{-1}$. Under normal rainfall, dwarf corn had higher protein and yield levels when intercropped with nodulating rather than nonnodulating soybean. On N-depleted soil, N transfer was detected from nodulating soybean to nonnodulating soybean and to corn by the $ sp{15}$N dilution method, and to corn by direct $ sp{15}$N labelling of nodulating soybean.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.74337
Date January 1990
CreatorsMartin, Ralph C.
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageDoctor of Philosophy (Department of Plant Science.)
RightsAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
Relationalephsysno: 001071001, proquestno: AAINN63694, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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