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Effects of Different Initial Cutting Treatments on the Production and Quality of Climax Timothy and Reed Canarygrass 1
Author(s) -
Mislevy P.,
Washko J. B.,
Harrington J. D.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1974.00021962006600010031x
Subject(s) - phalaris arundinacea , perennial plant , agronomy , biology , climax , tiller (botany) , crop , yield (engineering) , nutrient , phleum , ecology , wetland , materials science , metallurgy
Total yield, aftermath, and total digestible nutrients (TDN) production of perennial grasses when harvested at various physiological stages of development were investigated. The initial harvest of Climax timothy ( Phleum pratense L.) and reed canarygrass ( Phalaris arundinacea L.) was removed at eight physiological stages of development corresponding to plant heights of 20, 30, 41, 46, 51, 61, 71, and 81 cm. Removal of the initial harvest of timothy when the apical meristem was at a transition stage (plants 30 cm tall) resulted in highest total seasonal yield, aftermath, and TDN/ha. Reed canarygrass, however, produced lowest total seasonal yield and TDN when the initial harvest was removed early, at the first two stages of development. This species was less influenced by initial plant cutting height. Total seasonal aftermath of reed canarygrass varied by only 1,973 kg/ha regardless of when the initial crop was removed. These data indicate a differential response of timothy and reed canarygrass to specific cutting management practices.