Effects of double harvesting on estimated total digestible nutrient yield of forage rice
Introduction
The production of forage rice (Oryza sativa L.) is increasing in Japan because of increasing demand for domestically sourced forage (Sakai et al., 2003). In 2006, forage rice was grown on about 5000 ha, half of which was in southwestern Japan, where a prosperous livestock industry requires large quantities of fodder. Because forage rice must be cost competitive, high dry matter (DM) and nutritive yields are essential (Sakai et al., 2003, Nakano et al., 2008).
We previously reported that the cultivar Taporuri has a high DM yield if harvested twice, as a ratoon crop within once growing season (Nakano and Morita, 2007). To attain this high DW yield, the best time for the first harvest is at the full heading stage, and the best method of nitrogen (N) management is to provide a large amount of N, two-thirds of the total during the first crop and one-third during the second crop (Nakano and Morita, 2008). Recently, we found that total DM yield of the first and second crops was not greatly influenced by cutting height or trampling of the stubble of the first crop (Nakano et al., 2009). Although total digestible nutrients (TDN) which is an important index of the nutritive value of forage, no studies have examined the effect of double harvesting of forage rice in a single growing season on the overall TDN yield.
TDN can be estimated most accurately using enzymatic analysis with (alpha)-amylase and actinase to fraction the organic matter in the forage into organic cellular contents (OCC) and organic cell wall (OCW) (Abe, 1988). Cellulase can be used to further fraction OCW into organic a (Oa, high digestible fiber) and organic b (Ob, low digestible fiber). The TDN content of forage rice can then be estimated from these components.
Our objective was to quantify estimated TDN content and yield of double harvesting of four cultivars of forage rice in southwestern Japan and compare the results with those of a single harvest at the optimal time. We specifically wanted to determine whether differences between the two harvesting strategies were influenced by cultivar.
Section snippets
Crop management
The study comprised two experiments, one in 2004 and one in 2005, on a Grey Lowland soil at the National Agricultural Research Center for Kyushu Okinawa Region (33°12′N lat., 130°30′E long., 10 m a.s.l.), Chikugo, Fukuoka, Japan. The previous crop grown in the field was rice, and the same field was used for the experiments in both years of the study. In 2004, the mean temperatures during mid-June and mid-September were 2.2 °C and 3.2 °C, respectively, higher than the 30-years average, respectively
Estimated TDN yield
In 2004 and in double harvesting in 2005, the total estimated whole-plant TDN yield (i.e., of the first crop plus second crop) of Taporuri was the highest, followed by those of Tachiaoba, Mohretsu, and Hinohikari (Table 1, Table 2). The total estimated leaf TDN yield of Taporuri was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that of Hinohikari but did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) from those of Tachiaoba and Mohretsu. The total estimated stem TDN yield of Taporuri was the highest, followed by those
Discussion
Because forage rice must be cost competitive with other fodders, high DM and TDN yields are essential (Sakai et al., 2003, Nakano et al., 2008). Recently, several studies have reported the high DM yield of forage rice through double harvesting (Kobayashi et al., 2006a, Kobayashi et al., 2006b, Kobayashi et al., 2007, Nakano and Morita, 2007, Nakano and Morita, 2008, Nakano et al., 2009), none have examined the effects of double harvesting on estimated TDN yield of forage rice. We examined the
Conclusion
In the first crop, the estimated whole-plant TDN yield of Taporuri was the highest. In the second crop, the estimated whole-plant TDN yield of Taporuri was almost the same as those of Mohretsu and Tachiaoba but higher than that of Hinohikari. In Taporuri and Mohretsu, the total estimated whole-plant TDN yield was similar in double harvesting and single harvesting. However, in Tachiaoba and Hinohikari, it was lower in double harvesting than in single harvesting. It is important to maximize the
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by a grant for the Integrated Research for Developing Japanese-style Forage Feeding System to Increase Forage Self-support Ratio from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. We thank Mr. Akitoshi Honbu, Ms. Fujiko Komiya and Ms. Fumie Tsuru, National Agricultural Research Center for Kyushu Okinawa Region, for their invaluable help and cooperation in the field.
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