Publikationsdatum:
2013-07-06
Beschreibung:
Guazuma ulmifolia was experimentally pruned to determine when pruning should begin during the rainy season in order to extend the production of green tree-forage during the dry season. Three prunings (P-1, P-2, and P-3) were performed (5 weeks apart) during the rainy season (August, September, and October) and four forage harvests (C-a, C-b, C-c, and C-d) (3 weeks apart) took place during the dry season (February, March, and April). Over 2 years, forage biomass production was evaluated as total biomass (g dry matter tree −1 ), biomass of the morphological components (leaves, stems, and dead matter), and nutritional quality (crude protein, fiber, lignin, and digestibility). Date of pruning affected the production of total biomass ( P = 0.001) with the earliest pruning (P-1) yielding the greatest forage quantity, while stems ( P = 0.022) and dead matter ( P = 0.032) varied due to a year by pruning interaction. Total biomass, leaves, stems, and dead matter varied by the interaction between forage harvest and year for all four variables ( P 〈 0.037). In both years, the largest forage harvest occurred in C-b ( P 〈 0.05), leaf production was highest in C-a and C-b ( P 〈 0.001), stem production was greatest in C-b ( P = 0.013) and dead matter was highest in C-b and C-d ( P = 0.002). Leaf crude protein ranged between 10 and 19 %, and the interaction of pruning by forage harvest by year was significant ( P = 0.035). Digestibility, neutral and acid detergent fiber and lignin differed significantly because of the interaction between forage harvest and year ( P 〈 0.005), with February showing the lowest values for fiber and the highest digestibility. The best time to prune G . ulmifolia is in August so that the young trees will produce more total biomass with a higher crude protein content. The most suitable moment for forage harvest is in February when the trees have more leaves with greater digestibility and less fiber.
Print ISSN:
0167-4366
Digitale ISSN:
1572-9680
Thema:
Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Gartenbau, Fischereiwirtschaft, Hauswirtschaft
Permalink