Kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.) as a living mulch for cereal silage production in central Alberta

Living mulches are a form of intercropping. They involve maintaining a legume cover crop into which an annual crop is seeded. Kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.) is a perennial forage legume that can be used as a living mulch. Our experiment examined the suitability of a kura clover living mulch with two cereal species for silage production. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and triticale (X Triticosecale wittmack) were seeded at different soil nitrogen levels into unsuppressed and suppressed kura clover living mulches. The presence of the living mulch decreased silage yield compared to cereal monocultures. Herbicide suppression of the living mulch before cereal seeding reduced competition from the kura clover and helped mitigate the yield reductions. Forage quality of the silage was significantly improved when grown with the living mulch. Both the unsuppressed and suppressed living mulches decreased weed pressure and the incidence of cereal leaf diseases throughout the growing season.