Improving the Productivity of Degraded Pasture Land Through Legume Forages over Sowing

The experiment was undertaken for one season in Northern Ethiopia, at Emba Alaje District, Ayba Peasant Association to evaluate forage yield of the natural pasture over sown with three adapted legume forages. The design was Randomized Complete Block Design replicated three times. The treatments were control, Vicia dayscarpa, Vicia sativa and alfalfa ( Hairy peruvian). The size of experimental plots were 100 m 2 (10 m x 10 m) each. Partial Budget Analysis, Dominance Analysis and Marginal Rate of Return were calculated to compare treatments economic benefits. Over sowing legume forages increased Dry Matter Yield significantly as compared with the control pasture land. The higher yield was recorded for pasture land over sown with Vicia sativa (3.96 t/ha) and Vicia dayscarpa (3.12 t/ha). The relative proportion of grass and legumes reached highest and significant by over sowing. However, pasture productivity of land over sown with Vicia sativa and Vicia dayscarpa were not significant for both grass and legumes. The species composition of treatments in the experimental site ( Vicia sativa, Vicia dayscarpa and Hairy Peruvian) was 39.3, 33.3 and 7.3%, respectively. It is therefore concluded that over sowing degraded grazing lands with Vicia sativa improves biomass yield, and it is also economical as compared with other treatments. This implies that for every one $ addition cost of biomass yield production there is $ 0.44 (44%) return by applying Vicia sativa.