Abstract
Intercropping provides benefits over monocultures, such as improved soil fertility, higher yield potential, and better forage quality across different conditions. This study evaluated the forage and silage yield and quality of maize- and sorghum-based intercropping with soybean, cowpea and guar in northwest Türkiye. Field experiments were conducted over two seasons (2016 – 2017) using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The measured parameters included green weight (GW), dry weight (DW), and various quality indicators: dry matter (DM), digestible DM (DMD), crude protein, ash, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), gross energy (GE), and digestible energy (DE). Overall, intercropping systems produced slightly less total forage than monocultures, as shown by land equivalent ratios below one. However, intercropping significantly improved the forage and silage quality of cereals: Sorghum NDF decreased from 62.9% (monoculture) to 49.6% (with soybean) and 58.3% (with cowpea). Maize crude protein increased from 8.06% alone to 11.21% (with soybean) and 11.38% (with cowpea). Although sole-crop maize produced the highest silage yield, intercropping with soybean or cowpea significantly enhanced silage nutritive value without greatly reducing yield. Guar, a new legume in this region, performed poorly both alone and in mixtures, showing low GW and DW. We recommend maize–soybean and maize– cowpea intercropping for farmers aiming for better silage quality with minimal loss in yield. Future research should focus on identifying guar varieties better suited to northwest Türkiye and improving cereal–legume intercropping practices for local conditions.