EFFECT OF AGRONOMIC FACTORS ON ANNUAL LEGUMINOUS FORAGE CROP IN MEDITERRANEAN ENVIRONMENTS

Dry matter and seed production of five annual leguminous species hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth cv. Orsara), crimson clover (Trifolium inca rnatum L. ecotype Campano), squarrosum clover (T. squarrosum L. ecotyp e Calabro), persian clover (T. resupinatum cv. Accadia) and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L. ecotype Maltese) was estimated in 1989-9 0 under two density and irrigation rates and with two cutting treatmen ts. The experiments were done at the Forage Crops Institute of Foggia, which has a typical Mediterranean environment. The forage cut severel y affected the regrowth of the plants in all species. The year and irr igation factors affect dry matter, seed production and seed yield comp onents more than the plant density rates. The averages over the years, for dry matter and seed yield were 21.0 % and 20.5 % higher in the ir rigated than the not irrigated ones. The lower plant density rate, for seed yield trait, gave better result in hairy vetch in irrigated and non-irrigated treatment. Whereas in the other species, the lower rate of planting gave greater yield under non-irrigated and the higher rate under irrigated growing condition. The seed yield components most inf luenced by irrigation were: thousand seed weight and seeds/pod in hair y vetch and heads/tiller and seeds/head in clovers species. Fenugreek was the earliest forage crop (cut at the beginning of March), followed by crimson and persian clovers (cut at the middle of April) and squar rosum clover and hairy vetch (cut in the middle-late of May). All the cultivars and ecotypes considered not regrowth after cut and could rep resent an important fresh forage resource for the period March-May for the Mediterranean regions.