Red clever yield (Trifolium pratense L.) at different haverst age
Main Article Content
Keywords
red clover, week, yield, spring.
Abstract
Objective: The objective of this research was to obtain the optimum cutting moment of the red clover by varying the cutting frequency in the spring season.
Design/methodology/approach: The treatments were cuts at different ages (eight weeks) in the spring season. The variables studied were: forage accumulation, botanical and morphological composition, foliar area per stem and photosynthesis. The statistical analysis of the data obtained was performed with the GLM procedure of the SAS statistical package. The results obtained in yield of dry matter showed an increase as the age of regrowth advanced, in week 8, 5013 kg MS ha-1 total were obtained, resulting in the maximum value registered. There was a direct positive relationship between the mass of green leaves, rate of photosynthesis, leaf area per stem and leaf: stem ratio, with the best values ??recorded at the fourth week of regrowth. The morphological component that contributes most to forage yield was the stem with an average of 55% in all the weeks except the fourth.
Limitations on study/implications: After the fourth week the unwanted structural characteristics increase.
Findings/conclusions: It is concluded that the yield increases as the evaluation time passes and it is recommended to harvest the red clover in the fourth week of regrowth.
