The response of various ecotypes of common sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia L.) to the foliar application of nitrogen, iron and zinc in a cold climate of

Common sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia L.) is a forage crop belonging to the legume family. The crop is characterized by numerous favorable criteria such as the capability to fix atmospheric nitrogen symbiotically. In order to study the response of various ecotypes of common sainfoin to the foliar application of nitrogen and micronutrients, such as iron and zinc, two separate field experiments were conducted using a spilt-plot design with completely randomized block replicated three times. In the first experiment, the main plots included five different ecotypes of common sainfoin, and the sub-plots included four rates of urea application (0, 15, 30 and 45 kg N/ha). In the second experiment, the main plots included seven different ecotypes of common sainfoin, and the sub-plots included four rates of micronutrients (0, 0.04 % Fe, 0.04 % Zn and 0.04 % Fe + 0.04 % Zn). The foliar application of urea, Fe and Zn with increasing nutrient concentrations had a statistically significant (