Influence of living mulches on productivity indicators of maize

Abstract

Enhancement of the competitive ability of agricultural crops is one of the principal tools to increase the productivity of crops. Natural means have become of special relevance in recent years, when increasingly more attention is being paid to food safety, reduction of environmental pollution and organic agriculture. A one-factor stationary field experiment was conducted during the period of 2009-2011 at the Experimental Station of Lithuanian University of Agriculture (since 2011 - Aleksandras Stulginskis University). The soil of the experimental field was Calc(ar)i-Epihypogleyic Luvisol with a texture of silty light loam on heavy loam. The aim of investigations was to test the impact of living mulch on maize productivity parameters. Different living mulches were inter-seeded in maize crop. Treatments of the experiment: 1. Without a living mulch (control - reference treatment); 2. Spring rape (Brassica napus L.); 3. White mustard (Sinapis alba L.); 4. Spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.); 5. Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.); 6. Black medic (Medicago lupulina L.); 7. Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum L.); 8. Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.). In most cases, living mulches tended to reduce maize grain productivity. In the third year of the experiment, the impact of the living mulches on maize grain productivity became insignificant. When the mass of living mulches was incoiporated for a longer time, their negative effect tended to decrease. Italian ryegrass, black medic and Persian clover were living mulches that reduced maize grain productivity considerably.