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Widen the window for harvest with several days

Widen the window for harvest with several days

Different plants have different time points for ear emergence and can therefore be early or late. Even within some grass species there are large differences in earliness between varieties. Different species and varieties have different ability to maintain the energy value at ear emergence. Different time points for ear emergence implies different time points for suitable harvest date.

The window for harvest can be prolonged with a few days by choosing a mixture of species and varieties that together gives a more slowly decrease in energy value. However it is also possible to sow several mixtures that have their optimal harvest date at different time points.

A Swedish study show that it is possible to widen the window for harvest up to about 9 days for the first harvest by using a mixture of early varieties of timothy, meadow fescue, English rye grass and clover and a mixture of late varieties of timothy, English rye grass and clover. The yield did not differ in the first harvest between the early mixture harvested early and the late mixture harvested late. There were no differences in energy content between the mixtures, but the fibre content was slightly lower in the late mixture. A late mixture to a large part consisting of English rye grass can be winter sensitive. The late mixture harvested early can also be used as ’energy feed’.

By sowing several mixtures with different optimal harvest dates the period for first harvest can be prolonged so it won’t be necessary to harvest every ley at the same time to get the wanted nutritive quality and yield. With a wide window for harvest of three to four days between two mixtures of winter hardy species it would be possible for collaborating forage producers to each sow one of the mixtures.

Sara Muhonen, AgrD

Reference:
Nilsdotter-Linde N, Halling MA & Jansson J 2014. Breddat skördefönster – möjligheter och begränsningar. Vallkonferens 2014, Rapport nr 18, sid 51-54, Institutionen för växtproduktionsekologi, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, Uppsala, Sverige. (In Swedish)

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