On-farm trials with forage legume-barley compared with fallow-barley rotations and continuous barley in north-west Syria

Over a period of seven years farmers participated in trials in which common vetch (Vicia sativa (V)) or chickling (Lathyrus sativus (C)) replaced the fallow in a barley (Hordeum vulgare)-fallow rotation (F) or were introduced into continuous barley cropping (B) - giving a total of four rotations, B- F, B-B, B-V and B-C. Trials on 4 ha, 2 ha per phase of each rotation, were replicated on 6-8 farms. Some vetch and chickling crops were grazed in spri ng. Mean seven-year dry matter yields were 2.91 t ha(-1) for B-F, 4.82 t fo r B-B, 5.02 t for B-C and 5.32 t for B-V; total crude protein outputs were twice as high from rotations including legumes; and the B-V rotation yielde d most metabolizable energy. Realizing the benefit, farmers started to adop t vetch. In 1991 three farmers were growing vetch on 7 ha but by 1997 174 f armers in 15 villages were growing vetch on 420 ha. Forage legumes will not , however, become more widely grown until inexpensive and efficient mechani zed methods of harvesting the mature crop are available in order to avoid t he high cost of hand labour. Drought and cold tolerance, early maturation a nd high harvest index may also enhance farmers' interest in forage legumes.