In 2004-2006, strict field trials were carried out at the Research Station in Mochełek (53^o13’ N; 17^o51’ E) owned by the University of Technology and Life Sciences in Bydgoszcz in order to determine the range of border effect depending on the width of a path that splits the experimental plots. The test plants were oat and yellow lupine grown in mixture. The experiment was established as the split-plot layout with three replicates. The main experimental factor was the path width (25, 37.5 and 50 cm) and the secondary factor was the distance of plant row from the path (four rows 12.5 cm apart inwards). It was found that in mixture both oats and yellow lupine plants strongly responded to the path that split experimental plots. This border effect was assessed by measurements of the vegetative and generative organs. The range of border effect, which was expressed in plant characteristics and mixture yield, was detected mostly in the row adjacent to the path. However, some characteristics of plants indicated that border effect ranged up to the second row, which was 12.5 cm from the path. The border effect in grain yield of oat and in the total yield of mixture enhanced as the width of path increased to 37 cm.

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