Track 1-15: Pastures in Integrated Crop/Livestock Production Systems

Description

Cereal crops can be grazed in early winter or early spring when feed is scarce, or to utilize their high feeding value. In the early spring of 2011, the re-growth yield and nutritive value of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), rye (Secale cereale L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum), oat (Avena sativa L.), and triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack) grown in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey, were evaluated after three successive weekly harvests (Cut 1, Cut 2, Cut 3) during the tillering to stem elongation stages. Plants were cut at a height of 5 cm then allowed to re-grow until when they were harvested again at the dough stage on 18 June. Dry matter (DM) production (kg/ha) and nutritive value of forage were compared to plots that were uncut (No Cut). Re-growth yield (DM t/ha) decreased (P < 0.01) almost linearly with the delay in cutting time for each crop, but at different (P < 0.01) rates. Re-growth was reduced by up to 72% in Cut 3 compared with No Cut. The cell-wall components of plant tissues decreased (P < 0.001) in re-growth after Cut 2 and Cut 3 compared with No Cut. In-vitro DM digestibility was lowest (P < 0.001) in cereals with No Cut at the dough stage. The results suggest that winter cereals can be grazed up to the stem elongation stage without causing large reductions in the overall forage yield. The fodder obtained from material re-grown after the initial grazing may also offer higher-quality feed for livestock than ungrazed crops.

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Re-Growth Yield and Nutritive Value of Winter Cereals

Cereal crops can be grazed in early winter or early spring when feed is scarce, or to utilize their high feeding value. In the early spring of 2011, the re-growth yield and nutritive value of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), rye (Secale cereale L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum), oat (Avena sativa L.), and triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack) grown in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey, were evaluated after three successive weekly harvests (Cut 1, Cut 2, Cut 3) during the tillering to stem elongation stages. Plants were cut at a height of 5 cm then allowed to re-grow until when they were harvested again at the dough stage on 18 June. Dry matter (DM) production (kg/ha) and nutritive value of forage were compared to plots that were uncut (No Cut). Re-growth yield (DM t/ha) decreased (P < 0.01) almost linearly with the delay in cutting time for each crop, but at different (P < 0.01) rates. Re-growth was reduced by up to 72% in Cut 3 compared with No Cut. The cell-wall components of plant tissues decreased (P < 0.001) in re-growth after Cut 2 and Cut 3 compared with No Cut. In-vitro DM digestibility was lowest (P < 0.001) in cereals with No Cut at the dough stage. The results suggest that winter cereals can be grazed up to the stem elongation stage without causing large reductions in the overall forage yield. The fodder obtained from material re-grown after the initial grazing may also offer higher-quality feed for livestock than ungrazed crops.