Effects of pasture and cereal sowing rates on production of undersown barrel medic and wheat covercrop in western New South Wales

Abstract

The effects of different sowing rates of barrel medic (0-18 kg ha-1) and wheat (0-59 kg ha-1) on the dry matter and pod production of undersown medic and the dry matter and grain yields of wheat cover crop were examined in central western New South Wales. Regressions of pasture dry matter and pod yield on medic and wheat plant densities showed that when the plant density of medic was increased, more dry matter and pod were produced but grain yields of the cover crop were reduced. The greater the quantity of pod produced in the sowing year, the greater the density of medic seedlings in the following year. Greater plant densities of wheat increased wheat dry matter production and grain yields but lowered the yields of undersown medic. Wheat and medic sowing rates for establishing medic pasture are suggested.