The Responses of Stem and Leaf Functional Traits of <i>Medicago sativa</i> and <i>Bromus inermis</i> to Different Mixed Planting Patterns
2023
Fuhong Miao | Xiaoxu Yu | Xinkai Tang | Xindi Liu | Wei Tang | Yanhua Zhao | Chao Yang | Yufang Xu | Guofeng Yang | Juan Sun
This study investigated the differences in stem and leaf growth characteristics of <i>Medicago sativa</i> and <i>Bromus inermis</i> in the Jiaozhou region of China during 2019–2020 under three different planting modes of the two forages: monoculture, mixed species sowing in the same rows, and mixed species sowing in alternating rows. No special management of the experimental plots was carried out in this study to simulate as much as possible the growth of forages in their natural state. The stem and leaf characteristics influencing the dry matter weight were calculated using grey correlation. These characteristics included leaf length, leaf width, leaf thickness, leaf area, leaf fresh weight, stem length, stem diameter, stem fresh weight, stem–leaf ratio, fresh matter yield, dry matter yield, and protein yield of <i>M. sativa</i> and <i>B. inermis</i> under different sowing methods in different years. The results showed that the weight pattern of the characteristics affecting the yield of <i>M. sativa</i> and <i>B. inermis</i> production was leaf area > stem diameter > leaf length > stem length > leaf width > leaf thickness, leaf area > leaf length > stem length > leaf width > leaf thickness > stem diameter. Considering all the growth factors, the production capacity was ranked as mixed sowing in alternating rows > mixed sowing in same rows > monoculture. Thus, the suitable mode for <i>M. sativa</i>–<i>B. inermis</i> sowing was mixed sowing in alternating rows.
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