Theme 2-2: Forage Production and Utilization--Poster Sessions

Description

Cereal plant age at harvesting and the proportion of vetch in the harvested forage from cereal-common vetch mixtures might influence total forage quality. The objectives were to determine forage of a forage mixture cereal-vetch, from cereal harvested at two development stages and vetch at different proportion. Cereals were oats and triticale, cultivars: Chihuahua, Bicentenario and Siglo XXI, the last two were triticale; cereal development stages at harvest were: 50% flowering and hard grain. Vetch was harvested at two development stages: 100% flowering and pod formation, while vetch proportions in the forage mix were: 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0. Forage quality measures were: crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), organic matter (OM), ether extract (EE) and dry matter digestibility (DMD). Statistical analysis was by linear regression; cereal cultivar was a categorical variable. Models developed showed a R2≥0.7871. As vetch proportion increased in the mix so did CP while NDF decreased, CP increased from 9.2 to 17.5% and 9.2 to 14.4% and NDF decreased from 71.4 to 57.6% and 79.1 to 58.9%, as vetch proportion increased, when cereal was harvested at 50% flowering and grain hard, respectively. OM and EE showed small changes over vetch proportion and cereal development stage. DMD showed major (p< 0.05) changes with cereal development stage at harvesting. It was concluded that forage quality of cereal-vetch mix depends on vetch proportion and stage of development of the cereal at the time of harvest.

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Forage Quality of Cereal–Common Vetch at Different Age and Proportions

Cereal plant age at harvesting and the proportion of vetch in the harvested forage from cereal-common vetch mixtures might influence total forage quality. The objectives were to determine forage of a forage mixture cereal-vetch, from cereal harvested at two development stages and vetch at different proportion. Cereals were oats and triticale, cultivars: Chihuahua, Bicentenario and Siglo XXI, the last two were triticale; cereal development stages at harvest were: 50% flowering and hard grain. Vetch was harvested at two development stages: 100% flowering and pod formation, while vetch proportions in the forage mix were: 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0. Forage quality measures were: crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), organic matter (OM), ether extract (EE) and dry matter digestibility (DMD). Statistical analysis was by linear regression; cereal cultivar was a categorical variable. Models developed showed a R2≥0.7871. As vetch proportion increased in the mix so did CP while NDF decreased, CP increased from 9.2 to 17.5% and 9.2 to 14.4% and NDF decreased from 71.4 to 57.6% and 79.1 to 58.9%, as vetch proportion increased, when cereal was harvested at 50% flowering and grain hard, respectively. OM and EE showed small changes over vetch proportion and cereal development stage. DMD showed major (p< 0.05) changes with cereal development stage at harvesting. It was concluded that forage quality of cereal-vetch mix depends on vetch proportion and stage of development of the cereal at the time of harvest.