Agronomic and bromatological characteristics of forage wheat under different fertilization managements and densities

Abstract

ABSTRACT The objective of the present study was to evaluate the wheat crop as a forage potential subjected to different fertilization and sowing densities in the semi-arid region of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The design used was randomized blocks in a 3 x 4 factorial scheme with 3 replications, with 3 fertilization managements (without fertilization, organomineral fertilization and mineral fertilization) and 4 sowing densities (200, 350, 500 and 650 seeds m2). The chosen wheat cultivar was MGS Brilhante. For agronomic characteristics, a greater plant height was observed in the fertilized treatments, with an average of 111.28 cm, regardless of the type of fertilizer. For fresh matter and dry matter production, the mineral fertilization treatment showed a 19.76% and 18.99% higher production, respectively, compared to the others. Regarding the leaf percentage variable, there was an average reduction of 25.65% in the treatment without fertilization compared to those with fertilization. Concerning the bromatological composition, there was only a difference in neutral detergent fiber, with an average increase of 6.32% with organomineral fertilization compared to the other treatments. The use of broadcast mineral fertilizer promotes superior results in terms of dry matter yield (5.55 t ha-1 compared to organomineral fertilizer (4.63 t ha-1). Increasing sowing density does not affect crop yield.