INFLUENCES OF SOWING DATE AND HARVEST STAGE ON DRY MATTER YIELD AND FORAGE QUALITY OF QUINOA (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.)

Abstract

Sowing dates and harvest stages are very important to obtained better forage yield and quality. The goal of the study was to ascertain how the quinoa growing conditions in Marmara will be affected by the sowing dates and harvest stages. In 2018 and 2019, the experiment was conducted in an experimental field in the Agricultural Application and Research Area of Bursa Uludag University's Agriculture Faculty. The field experiment was set up using three replicates of a split-plot randomized complete blocks design. Titicaca variety of quinoa was used as a plant material in the study. Four different sowing dates (15 April, 1 May, 15 May and 1 June) were considered in the main plot and three different harvest stages (beginning of flowering, full flowering and seed setting) in the sub-plot. In this study, plant height, dry matter yield, crude protein, crude protein yield, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, the relative feed value, and macro and micro elements were examined. The two-year findings show that sowing on May 1 produced the maximum dry matter yield (2798 kg ha-1) and crude protein yield (584 kg ha-1). In terms of harvest stages, seed setting stage came to the fore in terms of high forage (4001 kg ha-1) and crude protein yield (746 kg ha-1).