Assessment of the Introduction of Vetch in Crop Rotation in El-Bab

Abstract

Previous studies conducted at ICARDA in the eighties showed the possibility of introducing forage legumes in the dry areas within the farming systems based on barley growing and animal production, where forage legumes may replace fallow in barley/ fallow rotation or break the continuous barley cultivation. The produce of the forage legume crop may be sold as a cash crop or used to feed the animals of rural families. The advantage for the proceeding cereal of planting forage legume is similar to that obtained by fallowing due to nitrogen fixation by legumes, also the stored moisture in the fallow year is little amount especially in the dry areas. Finally the forage legume can use the residual phosphorus added to the cereal crop which may wasted in the fallow year.