Effects of growth-stage-based alfalfa harvest on weed encroachment and resultant quality

1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Moyer ◽  
J. Fraser ◽  
L. M. Rode ◽  
A. K. Topinka

Growth-stage-based alfalfa harvest treatments were imposed on a 2-yr-old Beaver alfalfa stand in 1992 to determine the effect of harvest treatments on yield and quality. By 1993, alfalfa cut at the vegetative stage or prebud stage contained 25% dandelions by weight. At these stages weeds lowered crude protein content in the total forage relative to pure alfalfa. Weed contents were similar and less than 1% by weight in forage cut at prebloom and later stages. Crude protein and fibre contents were similar in total forage and pure alfalfa at prebloom and later stages. Key words: Acid detergent fibre, crude protein, cutting management, dandelion, growth stage, neutral detergent fibre

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Violeta Mandic ◽  
Zorica Bijelic ◽  
Vesna Krnjaja ◽  
Aleksandar Simic ◽  
Maja Petricevic ◽  
...  

Maize is the very important silage source in the world. Timely harvesting ensure high maize forage yield and quality. Therefore, the study focused on the effects of four harvesting times (starting at the 12 August every 7 days) on yield and qualitative parameters of forage green mass of maize hybrid ZP 677. The experiment was set in Vojvodina Province, Serbia, during the 2013 and 2014 growing seasons. Plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves per plant, ear percentage, forage yield, dry matter content and crude protein content were higher, while stem percentage was lower in 2014 with favorable climatic condition. Forage yield, crude protein content, ADF and NDF decreased, while dry matter content significantly increased with delay in harvesting. The maize hybrid should be harvested when the milk line is three-quarter of the way down the grain that is in the third decade of August.


1980 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 807-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. FULKERSON

Midas marrowstem kale (Brassica oleracea L.) was grown in different row width associations with United 106 corn (Zea maize L.) in two studies and ensiled in different moisture blends with corn stover in another. Highest dry matter yields were obtained where a single row of kale was grown at 30 cm to the side of a corn row. This combination also provided the lowest moisture content feed and the highest in vitro digestibility and crude protein content. Changing the corn row width had no significant effect upon yield, plant height, in vitro digestibility, kale leaf or corn ear content. Blending kale with corn stover to provide a silage of about 70% moisture increased the digestibility and protein content of the feed and provided a silage that kept well in storage.


2002 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 541 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Jacobs ◽  
F. R. McKenzie ◽  
G. A. Kearney

A study determined the effects of differing rates of nitrogen fertiliser [0 (N0), 25 (N1), 50 (N2) and 75�kg N/ha (N3)] during late autumn (T1) and mid- (T2) and late (T3) winter on the nutritive characteristics of perennial ryegrass over a 28-day period after each application. All nitrogen applications were made to pastures with a post-grazed residual mass (dry matter) of 1400 kg/ha. Changes in metabolisable energy followed similar patterns for all treatments within a given period. Metabolisable energy was highest in T1, ranging from 11.8 to 13.1 MJ/kg dry matter, followed by T2 (11.5-12.3 MJ/kg dry matter) and T3 (10.6-11.5 MJ/kg dry matter). Changes in crude protein for all treatments at each application time were similar, irrespective of rate of nitrogen application. At the commencement of treatment application times, the existing crude protein content (%DM) was highest in N3 (T1�19, T2 23, T3 22), followed by N2 (T1 18, T2 21, T3 21), N1 (T1 17, T2 20, T3 20) and N0 (T1 16, T2 17, T3 18). During both T1 and T2, neutral detergent fibre content decreased by 4 percentage units and increased by a similar amount during T3. Generally, neutral detergent fibre content (%DM) was highest during T3 (53-58%), followed by T2 (45-54%) and T1 (43-49%). Water-soluble carbohydrate content (%DM) increased during all treatment periods with the highest level observed during T1 (18-31%) followed by T2 (3-14%) and T3 (1-6%). Nitrate content (measured as nitrate-nitrogen) decreased throughout T1, primarily due to dry conditions, while during T2, levels for N3 and N2 were significantly (P<0.05) higher than for N1 and N0 following nitrogen fertiliser application. During T3, nitrate content increased for all treatments throughout the 28-day period, with highest nitrate levels being observed during T3. The effect of applied nitrogen on mineral content was variable within and across treatment periods. The study indicates that nitrogen fertiliser did not affect metabolisable (apart from N3 elevating metabolisable energy during T3), neutral detergent fibre or water-soluble carbohydrate contents of perennial ryegrass during the 28 days after nitrogen application, but increased crude protein content. Also, nitrogen fertiliser elevated nitrate content in perennial ryegrass. While the elevated nitrate content observed may result in subclinical effects, these levels are not considered fatal for dairy cows. Crude protein content was generally above 20% of dry matter throughout the study and close to 30% of dry matter for short periods during T2. Minimising the effect of excess nitrogen ingested by the grazing animal may require appropriate supplementation of low crude protein containing feeds such as cereal grains. It is argued that the effects of rain and temperature, which impact on soil nitrogen mineralisation, may have a greater influence on perennial ryegrass nitrate content than nitrogen fertiliser.


1987 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
RH Slarke ◽  
WK Mason

At Kyabram, Victoria, the effects of growth stage at cutting on dry matter (DM) yield and quality of lucerne was determined during the warm season haymaking period for cultivars with contrasting winter dormancy characteristics. Growth stages at cutting were pre-flower bud, flower-bud, 10% bloom and full bloom. Cultivars were winter non-dormant CUF 101 and Pioneer Brand 572, semi-winter dormant Pioneer Brand 581 and winter dormant Pioneer Brand 545. Cultivar responses or interactions between cultivar and growth stage at cutting were not significant (P>0.05) for dry matter yield, crude protein or in vitro digestibility. Cutting of the pre-flower bud stage, compared with cutting at the 10% bloom stage, reduced DM yield by 18% (16.4 v. 13.5 t/ha), but increased crude protein content of the lucerne from 19.3 to 24%. The total protein yield per hectare was not affected by cutting stages from pre-flower bud stage to 10% bloom. Cutting lucerne at the flower bud stage rather than at 10% bloom gave increased protein content and digestibility with only a moderate yield decline. However, more frequent cutting was unsatisfactory as it decreased the density of the stand and increased the proportion of weeds and so could not be recommended.


2012 ◽  
pp. 217-220
Author(s):  
Juliana Molnárová

To ascertain the importance of individual preciosion factors in achieving yield and quality of malting barley, we established a multifactor experiment at the research station of the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra in 2009 and 2010. Four variants of fertilization, 2 ways of soil cultivation and four varieties 'Bojos’, 'Kangoo’, 'Marthe’ and 'Xanadu’ were observed. From the quality indicators the nitrogen content (%) was observed. The results were statistically analyzed by using a multifactor analysis of variance by using Statistica 8, the program Statgraphics. The difference between years was statistically significant (1.87 t ha-1) in favour of 2010. The difference was also significant between the varieties 'Bojos’ and ’Kangoo’(1.07 t ha-1), respectively. 'Martha’ and 'Xanadu’ as well as 'Kangoo’ (0.56 resp. 0.33 t ha-1). Conventional soil cultivation incomparison with a minimalization technology, demonstrated a  tatistically insignificant increase of yield. Significant differences were obtained between the variants of fertilization. Treatment by using Condit (b-var.) showed a very positive impact in climatic favorable year (2010) with a yield result of 7.42 t ha-1. In comparison with an untreated control, the difference in yield was 0.89 t ha-1. A significant increase of yield was achieved by using the combination of solid fertilizer with foliar fertilizer (LAV + Hakofyt, var.c) 0.47 t ha-1. The crude protein content was statistically influenced by a variety and year. In 2009, the crude protein content was above average (12.38%). Significantly lower attributes were achieved in 2010 (9.90%). From the studied/observed varieties the lowest crude protein content was showed by a variety 'Kangoo’ (1.68%).


2004 ◽  
Vol 142 (5) ◽  
pp. 517-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. GATIUS ◽  
J. LLOVERAS ◽  
J. FERRAN ◽  
J. PUY

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to analyse the crude protein content of dried and milled samples of wheat and to discriminate samples according to their stage of growth. A calibration set of 72 samples from three growth stages of wheat (tillering, heading and harvest) and a validation set of 28 samples was collected for this purpose. Principal components analysis (PCA) of the calibration set discriminated groups of samples according to the growth stage of the wheat. Based on these differences, a classification procedure (SIMCA) showed a very accurate classification of the validation set samples: all of them were successfully classified in each group using this procedure when both the residual and the leverage were used in the classification criteria. Looking only at the residuals all the samples were also correctly classified except one of tillering stage that was assigned to both tillering and heading stages. Finally, the determination of the crude protein content of these samples was considered in two ways: building up a global model for all the growth stages, and building up local models for each stage, separately. The best prediction results for crude protein were obtained using a global model for samples in the two first growth stages (tillering and heading), and using a local model for the harvest stage samples.


1984 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 309-317
Author(s):  
L. BELZILE ◽  
R. RIOUX

The effects of cultivars, seeding rates and dates on alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) yield and quality in the seeding year were studied from 1971 to 1975 on a Kamouraska clay. Results showed the importance of seeding alfalfa before the end of May. Seedings made in early and in mid-May resulted in equivalent yield. Differences between cultivars were more important on the second than on the first cut. Regrowth was an important factor in the seedling year. The total yield of the Alfa cultivar is higher than Vernal and Narragansett and it is also higher for every combination of rates and seeding dates. Seeding rates were not an important factor except at the first cut where a rate of 6.7 kg/ha gave a lower yield than a rate of 13.4 kg/ha. Dry matter digestibility of Alfa is sometimes higher than for the other cultivars in the study. Late seeding generally increased the digestibility of the second cut dry matter, whereas rates of seeding have no effect on either first or second cut material. The crude protein content is not affected by seeding rates and the effects of cultivars are generally very small. With a delay in seeding dates the crude protein content of the second cut material is sometimes increased.Key words: Medicago sativa L., cultivar, date, rate


2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 444 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Panjaitan ◽  
S. P. Quigley ◽  
S. R. McLennan ◽  
T. Swain ◽  
D. P. Poppi

Feed intake, rumen function, microbial protein (MCP) production and the efficiency of MCP production were determined in steers fed four different forage hays varying markedly in crude protein content. Low quality tropical forage (speargrass and Mitchell grass) hays had lower crude protein content, higher neutral detergent fibre content and lower digestibility than a medium quality tropical forage (pangola grass) hay and a temperate forage (ryegrass) hay. Steers fed speargrass and Mitchell grass hays had lower MCP production (80 and 170 g MCP/day, respectively) and efficiency of MCP production [78 and 79 g MCP/kg digestible organic matter (DOM), respectively] than steers fed pangola grass (328 g MCP/day; 102 g MCP/kg DOM) and ryegrass (627 g MCP/day; 135 g MCP/kg DOM) hays, which was directly related to the supply of DOM and rumen degradable protein. Intake was greatest for ryegrass hay, followed by pangola grass, Mitchell grass and speargrass hays [17.6, 15.6, 10.1 and 5.5 g DM/kg W.day, respectively]. The retention time of DM in the rumen was 72.1, 47.7, 28.6 and 19.1 h for speargrass, Mitchell grass, pangola grass and ryegrass hays, respectively, with a similar trend apparent for the retention time of neutral detergent fibre, lignin, chromium-EDTA and ytterbium labelled digesta. The difference in the protein : energy ratio of absorbed substrates (measured as efficiency of MCP production) did not appear to account for all the differences in intake, nor did a purely physical mechanism.


1975 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 1029-1032 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. KILCHER

Russian wild ryegrass (Elymus junceus Fisch.) commenced growth early in May and grew until early July. Altai wild ryegrass (Elymus angustus Trin.) commenced growth about 7 days later and grew until late July. The sparsity of stems in Altai wild ryegrass resulted in leaves contributing from 70 to 80% of total plant yield from June to October. During the same period, leaves of Russian wild ryegrass contributed from 50 to 60% of total plant yield. Leaves of Altai wild ryegrass varied in crude protein content from 21.0 to 5.5% throughout the season compared to 13.5−7.5% for Russian wild ryegrass. Crude protein of stems was similar for the two grasses throughout the season and ranged from 10 to 2%. Organic matter digestibility of the leaves in the two grasses was about 70% in mid-May and about 50% in October. Through July to September, however, the values for Russian wild ryegrass were 5–7% higher than those for Altai wild ryegrass. Digestibility of stems of both grasses was similar and fell to less than 40% from mid-July onward.


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