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Title: SEASONAL FORAGE PRODUCTION AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF SUMMER GRAIN LEGUMES IN THE SOUTHERN PLAINS

Author
item Rao, Srinivas
item Phillips, William

Submitted to: American Society of Agronomy
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/1/2001
Publication Date: 11/1/2001
Citation: RAO, S.C., PHILLIPS, W.A. SEASONAL FORAGE PRODUCTION AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF SUMMER GRAIN LEGUMES IN THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRONOMY. 2001. Abstract No. c06-rao140230-p. CD-ROM.

Interpretive Summary: Abstract Only.

Technical Abstract: Four summer grain legumes were evaluated as a potential forage resource for grazing livestock. Pigeon pea (PP), chinese red pea (CR), guar (GU), and a mungbean (MB) were seeded in June on plots previously used to produce winter wheat at the rate of 25 kg ha-1 in tilled soil fertilized with 60 kg P ha-1. Above ground plant samples were collected throughout the growing period until October in both 1999 and 2000. In 1999 total biomass yields at the last sampling date were 3510 (CR), 4750 (PP), 10,000 (GU), and 6540 kg ha-1 (MB), In 2000, total yield for all legumes was reduced by 60% (CR) to 90% (MB) due to hot and dry conditions. Average nitrogen concentration of above ground biomass over the growing season ranged from 19 g kg-1 for (MB) in 1999 to 32 g kg-1 for (CR) in 2000. Average dry matter digestibility ranged from 730 g kg-1 for (GU) in 1999 to 820 g kg-1 for (CR) in 2000. It appears that these warm season grain legumes could be double-cropped with winter wheat and used to produce high quality forage for grazing livestock during the summer when the dry matter production and nutritive value of warm-season grasses declines.