The plant stand is one of the main yield components amending crop productivity, maximizing productive environment for culture. In this sense the objective with this study was to evaluate forage production and chemical composition of two cultivars of common vetch at different densities. The experiment was conducted in 2011, in an area of the Crop Science of the Department of the Federal University of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul. Treatments consisted of two genotypes of vetch (hairy vetch and common vetch) at four seeding rates (50, 100, 150 and 200 seeds m-2). The experimental design was a randomized blocks design, arranged in (2x4) factorial design with four replications. The ADF values increased with increasing seeding rate, which did not occur for the other qualitative characteristics evaluated. The optimum seeding rate should be adjusted according to the cultivar and cutting, ranging 66-200 viable seeds per square meter. The total dry matter production is maximized when the seeding rate is 136 seeds m-2
green manure; legumes; forage production; Vicia sativa L.; Vicia villosa Rotl
