Productivity of three perennial leys in NW Greece (Ioannina)

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of three treatments on agronomic characteristics of three leys: a. Ley type (Trifolium repens + Lolium perenne, T. pratense + L. perenne, L. perenne), b. Utilisation (cutting and grazing) and c. Nitrogen fertilization (0, 40 and 80 kg N ha-1. Also for the L. perenne/cutting treatment 160 and 360 kg N ha-1). The experimental trials were established at Ioannina plateau during spring 1994. Neither herbicide nor Rhizobium inoculation nor irrigation were applied. The duration of measurements was three years. The dry matter production at the establishment year (two harvests) ranged from 380-700 g m-2. In the first productive year, the total dry matter production ranged from 2700-3600 and 1270-1700 g m-2 for the grazing (7 harvests) and cutting (4 harvests) treatments respectively. In the second productive year, the total dry matter production harvested, ranged from 800-1050 and 500-850 g m-2 for the grazing (5 harvests) and cutting (5 harvests) treatments respectively.