FORAGE YIELD AND QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF WINTER LEGUME / GRASS MIXTURES HARVESTED AT DIFFERENT PHENOLOGICAL STAGES

Abstract

Winter forage crop mixtures are very important sources of quality forage as well as the benefits they bring to the soil and the main crop. In areas where year-round production is carried out, leaving the soil fallow during the winter months and producing maize-maize or cotton-cotton causes fatigue in the soil and facilitates the increase of pests. For this purpose, forage yield and quality characteristics of 12 different winter forage crop applications (4 pure and 8 mixtures) were investigated between 2014-2016 in Büyük Menderes basin. The experiment was designed according to the split-plot experimental design in randomized blocks and mowing operations were carried out in 2 different phenological periods with 4 replications. Hay yield (kg da-1), ADF (%), NDF (%), ADL (%), crude protein ratio (%), crude protein yield (kg da-1) and relative feed value averages were measured. According to the results obtained from the experiment, there are differences between crude protein ratio and relative feed values. When analyzed in line with the production purpose, 75% forage pea + 25% oat mixtures stand out in terms of crude protein yield, while 55% forage pea + 45% annual ryegrass stands out in terms of relative feed value. Due to the changes in mowing times depending on the characteristics, it is thought that it would be ideal to perform mowing operations between 50%-100% flowering.