Effect of cutting height on non-structural carbohydrates, biomass production and mortality rate of pigeon peas

Letty, Brigid; Makhubedu, Thabo I.; Scogings, Peter F.; Mafongoya, Paramu

doi:10.1007/s10457-021-00616-8

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…One of the advantages of T. diversifolia is its rapid growth after harvest, tolerating repeated cuts throughout the year with high biomass production (Letty et al 2021). Many farmers use T. diversifolia in forage banks for livestock feeding.…”

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many farmers use T. diversifolia in forage banks for livestock feeding. However, the lack of evidence on appropriate cutting or harvest heights can cause a progressive decrease in forage production due to the reduction in the number of stem buds that limit the regrowth of new leaves (Letty et al 2021). Likewise, it causes the depletion of plant reserves, because they mobilise reserve carbohydrates to rebuild photosynthetic tissue after harvest, grazing or seasonal loss of foliage (Navale et al 2022).…”

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Likewise, it causes the depletion of plant reserves, because they mobilise reserve carbohydrates to rebuild photosynthetic tissue after harvest, grazing or seasonal loss of foliage (Navale et al 2022). Therefore, knowing the optimal harvest height of T. diversifolia is essential for the sustainable management of this important forage plant in animal production systems in the tropics (Ruiz et al 2017, Letty et al 2021. Our understanding of the yield and quality of T. diversifolia biomass in forage banks under different management schemes and at different times of the year under tropical conditions is still limited.…”

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The reduction of forage leaves and stems in the dry season in our study is consistent with that found by Cabezas y Sánchez (2008) who showed that the low contents of macronutrients affected plant growth as nitrogen deficiency lowered the heights, stem growth, size and thickness of leaves of Passiflora mollissima plants. There are studies in other parts of the world showing that nutrient limitation in the soil during the dry season can affect biomass production (Letty et al 2021).…”

Section: Biomass Yieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, we observed that the cutting height influenced the CP and ADF content of the T. diversifolia forage. This may be related to the regrowth capacity of the plant, since at taller cutting heights (80 cm), they maintain higher residual biomass and, consequently, a higher proportion of buds, which contributed to improving the quality of forage (Letty et al 2021). Another factor that influences the nutrient composition of T. diversifolia forage is seasonality.…”

Section: Nutrient Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal variation in biomass yield and quality of Tithonia diversifolia at different cutting heights

Uu-Espens¹,

Canúl-Solís²,

Chay-Canúl³

et al. 2022

Ecosist. Recur. Agropec.

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The objective of this research was to evaluate and compare the yieldperformance and quality of Tithonia diversifolia forage under different harvesting heights, during the dry and rainy seasons in tropical Mexico. The treatments consisted of three harvest heights 40, 60 and 80 cm from the ground level, cut every60 days, during two seasons of the year. In each period, the biomass was harvested and separated into edible and non-edible components. We determined the biomass yield, and the concentration of crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), lignin, ash and organic matter (OM) of the forage. Cutting at 80 cm height yielded the highest forage biomass per harvest (2 008 kg DM ha−1) while there were no significant differences in forage yield between 40 and 60 cm heights. The differences in cutting heights also affected the nutrient qualityof the animal edible forage because the concentrations of CP, ADF and NDF varied significantly. There was a significant interaction between cutting heights and the season on forage production and quality. In the dry season, the content of NDF, FDA, lignin and ash were higher, while the PC and OM were lower. The use of T. diversifolia as a forage plant and cutting it to a height of 80 cm is recommended to maintain the best production and the quality of the forage throughout the year for livestock production.

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Section: )mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 99%