ABSTRACT
Yield performance of Dactylis glomerata L. harvested at different cutting frequiencies schemes and fertilized with organic-mineral mix

Javier Ruiz-Romero1, Gisela Aguilar Benitez2, Francisco Roberto Quiroz-Figueroa3, Maria Myrna Solis-Oba1, Abdu Orduna-Diaz1, Pedro Arturo Martinez-Hernandez4, and Rigoberto Castro-Rivera1*
 
Livestock systems rely heavily on forage production for a healthy and economical way to produce; however, there is little information about the effect of mixing organic and mineral fertilization. The objective of this study was to evaluate the forage yield performance and chlorophyll content on leaves of cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) subjected to two cutting schemes and different dosages of organic-mineral mixtures fertilization over a 1 yr period. Treatment means were analyzed using the GLM procedure and Tukey’s test (P < 0.05) from SAS software. A randomized design was employed, with a total of 10 treatments, consisting of five combinations of urea (N) and vermicompost (V); V0:N0, V100:N0, V0:N100, V100:N100 and V50:N50, and two different harvest schemes; every 4 and 6 wk. The evaluated variables were: DM yield, morphological composition and chlorophyll content in leaves. The highest yield was obtained with V100:N100 with either 4 or 6 wk harvest registering 1770 and 2500 kg DM ha-1 more than their controls. Harvesting every 4 wk promoted similar accumulated yield in treatments with vermicompost compared to V0:N100 (P < 0.05). Additionally, the average yield every 6 wk did not show differences between seasons, suggesting that seasonality is reduced in cocksfoot. However, in harvests every 4 wk, there was a difference of 47% higher yield for summer compared to winter. The chlorophyll content was on average higher (53 mg m-2) by harvesting every 4 wk. Defining a mixed fertilization program associated with a harvest scheme of 4 wk will increase yield throughout the year and enhance chlorophyll content in leaves.
Keywords: Chlorophyll content, cocksfoot, forage, harvest intervals, mixed fertilization, vermicompost.
1Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Centro de Investigacion en Biotecnologia Aplicada, Carretera Estatal, 90700 Santa Ines Tecuexcomac, Tlaxcala, Mexico.
2Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi, Instituto de Investigacion de Zonas Deserticas, Colonia del Llano, San Luis Potosi, CP 78377, Mexico.
3Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigacion para el Desarrollo Integral Regional, Unidad Sinaloa, Sinaloa, Guasave, 81101, Mexico.
4Universidad Autonoma de Chapingo, 56230 Chapingo, Estado de Mexico, Mexico.
*Corresponding author (rcastror@ipn.mx)