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“Runoff Farming” in the Desert. V. Persistence and Yields of Annual Range Species 1
Author(s) -
Tadmor N. H.,
Shanan L.,
Evenari M.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1971.00021962006300010028x
Subject(s) - agronomy , biology , irrigation , perennial plant , cultivar , dry matter , medicago sativa , forage , annual plant , ecotype , crop , botany
A wide variety of medics and other annual range plants were grown over a 9‐year period under waterspreading conditions in an 80 to 100‐mm winter rainfall desert. The only irrigation came from natural surface‐runoff during winter storms. Ecotypes of Medicago polymorpha, M. orbicularis, M. rotata, M. scutellata, M. truncatula, M. turbinata, and Trigonella arabica reseeded themselves each year and yielded up to 20 to 30 ton/ha fresh (4 to 6 ton/ha dry) matter. Several cultivars of forage crops and other large‐seeded crop plants, i.e. barley, oats, vetches, gave high yields but failed to perpetuate. It took legumes 3 to 4 years to become naturally inoculated. None of the clovers were established successfully under these conditions.