Light Interception and Dry Matter Yield in Grass/Legume Mixtures

The influence of grass variety on light interception and dry matter yield in a grass/clover mixture was studied. Two varieties of timothy (Phleum pratense L.) and five varieties of ryegrass (Lolium spp) as components in a mixture were compared during the spring period up to the first cut of the third harvest year. By replacing the timothy variety in the mixture both light interception and dry matter yield were significantly affected. The leaf orientation was thought to be a contributing factor with erect leaves intercepting less light. There were no significant differences neither in light interception nor in yield between the mixtures with different ryegrass varieties, not even between the earliest and the latest varieties being the two contrasts in light interception