Forage cropping systems have greater precipitation use efficiency compared with cereal grains and oilseed cropping systems. However, information is limited to which forage species and forage rotation system increases productivity the most in the central Great Plains. The objective of this research was to identify the productivity and nutritive value of forage sorghum [FS, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], winter triticale [WT, ×Triticosecale Wittm. ex A. Camus (Secale × Triticum)], and spring triticale (ST) crop rotations in the central Great Plains. The study was conducted from 2008 through 2011 at Garden City, Jetmore, and Tribune, KS. The experimental design was a randomized completed block with four crop rotation treatments: continuous FS–FS, continuous WT–WT, annual double‐crop WT/FS, and 2‐yr, double‐crop WT/FS–ST rotations. The annualized forage accumulation from WT/FS–ST rotation at Garden City, Jetmore, and Tribune were 30, 53, and 62% greater than annualized yields from the WT–WT rotation, respectively. The annualized forage accumulation from double crop WT/FS rotation were 55 and 148% greater than annualized forage accumulation from WT–WT rotation at Garden City and Jetmore. Overall productivity of a rotation was in the order WT/FS > WT/FS–ST or FS–FS > WT–WT. Despite its greater productivity, it was difficult to implement field operations (planting and harvesting) in the WT/FS rotation due to insufficient time in the growing season and because, often, there was little to no soil water available at planting. We concluded the WT/FS–ST rotation was less intense and more easily adoptable than the WT/FS rotation and has sufficient diversity to utilize resources better than continuous FS–FS or WT–WT rotations.

中文翻译：

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旱地种植系统对草料积累，营养价值和降雨利用效率的影响

与谷物和油料作物种植系统相比，牧草种植系统具有更高的降水利用效率。但是，信息仅限于大平原中部最大程度提高生产力的牧草种类和牧草轮作系统。这项研究的目的是确定饲草高粱[FS，高粱双色（L.）Moench]，冬季黑小麦[WT，× Triticosecale Wittm ]的生产力和营养价值。前A.加缪（Secale×Triticum）]和大平原中部的春季黑小麦（ST）轮作。该研究于2008年至2011年在杰特莫尔的Garden City和堪萨斯州Tribune进行。实验设计是一个随机完成的块，其中包括四种作物轮作处理：连续FS-FS，连续WT-WT，每年两次作物WT / FS和两年，两次作物WT / FS-ST轮作。在加登城，杰特莫尔和论坛报上，WT / FS-ST轮作的年均饲草积累分别比WT-WT轮作的年产量高30％，53％和62％。在加登城和杰特莫尔，双季WT / FS轮作的年均饲草积累比WT-WT轮作的年均饲草积累分别高55和148％。轮换的总体生产率为WT / FS> WT / FS–ST或FS–FS> WT–WT。尽管生产率更高，由于生长季节的时间不足，并且由于种植时土壤水分很少甚至没有，因此难以在WT / FS轮作中实施田间作业（播种和收获）。我们得出结论，与WT / FS轮换相比，WT / FS-ST轮换不那么激烈，更容易采用，并且具有足够的多样性来比连续FS-FS或WT-WT轮换更好地利用资源。