EN
The amount and structure of yields of spring barley Edgar cv. and field bean Nadwiślański cv. cultivated as cover crops for under sown red clover, Nike cv. were investigated in 1993-1995 at an experimental plot of Department of Plant Production situated in Prusy near Cracow. Both cover crops were sown at the following distances between rows: 11, 22, 11 + 33 and 33 cm. Broad drilling (33) and stripe drilling (11 + 33 cm) decreased leave area index in both species and enabled a far better access of photosynthetic active radiation to the undersown red clover. A significant decline in spring barley yield in broad drilling was due to a decrease in the number of ears per area unit. However, as compared to the narrow drilling (11 cm), the fall was 21%. Field bean responded to increased row spacing by a lower decline in seed yield because a decrease in the number of plants per m² was counterbalanced by an increase in the following values: 1000 grain weight, number of pods per plant and number of seeds per pod. Red clover undersown in field bean developed better, which has been proved by both the number of plants per m² and the number of developed side shoots.