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Title: FORAGE YIELD AND QUALITY UNDER IRRIGATION WITH SALINE-SODIC DRAINAGE WATER: GREENHOUSE EVALUATION

Author
item SUYAMA, H - CAL STATE, FRESNO, CA
item BENES, SHARON - CAL STATE, FRESNO, CA
item ROBINSON, P - U.C. DAVIS, CA
item GRATTAN, STEPHEN - LAWR, U.C. DAVIS, CA
item Grieve, Catherine
item GETACHEW, G - U.C. DAVIS, CA

Submitted to: Agricultural Water Management
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/13/2006
Publication Date: 1/16/2007
Citation: Suyama, H., Benes, S.E., Robinson, P.H., Grattan, S.R., Grieve, C.M., Getachew, G. 2007. Forage yield and quality under irrigation with saline-sodic drainage water: greenhouse evaluation. Agricultural Water Management. 88:159-172

Interpretive Summary: The San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California has very limited outlets for agricultural drainage waters. One of the management options available to producers in that area is the on-farm reuse of these wastewaters for crop irrigation. Concurrently, high-quality forages are cin very short supply in the SJV due to the influx of dairy and livestock operations from neighboring regions. A greenhouse study was conducted at the California State University, Fresno to evaluate the suitability of five forages for the drainage water reuse system proposed for the SJV. Crops (tall wheatgrass, paspalum, creeping wildrye, bermudagrass and alfalfa) were grown in field soils and irrigated with waters of low, moderate and high salinity which also contained the trace element, selenium (Se) and boron (B).. Crops were evaluated and rated bases on overall salinity tolerance, biomass production, mineral ion accumulation, and quality parameters (metabolizable energy, nn-detergent fiber, digestibility, crude protein). Tall wheatgrass and paspalum were rated as the best candidates. However, the high sulfur (S) level in paspalum herbage may pose a risk of S toxicity in cattle. Although the quality of alfalfa was far superior to the other forages, the salt sensitivity of the crop suggests that the long term sustainability under irrigation with moderately saline waters is problematic. The high Se concentration in all forages was generally above that recommended for ruminants and may require that herbage be fed in mixed rations.

Technical Abstract: Reuse of saline-sodic drainage water (DW) to irrigate salt-tolerant forages is an attractive option for growers in California’s drainage-impaired, San Joaquin Valley since it will reduce the volume of drainage water requiring disposal and supply feed to expanding dairy and beef cattle industries. Five salt-tolerant forages (tall wheatgrass, paspalum, creeping wildrye, bermudagrass and alfalfa) were evaluated in a greenhouse study to compare forage species for biomass productivity, mineral composition and quality as ruminant feeds when irrigated with saline DW (ECw = 0.85, 11, and 18 dS/m, respectively) and grown in a field soil mix characteristic of the drainage impaired areas. Metabolizable energy (ME in MJ/kg DM), the potential energy that the ruminant can obtain from consuming the forage, was higher in this greenhouse study as compared to our prior field study (Suyama et al., 2006). ME differed among the forage types and was ranked as: tall wheatgrass and alfalfa > paspalum > bermudagrass and creeping wildrye. Nevertheless, all forages were deemed suitable as feeds for beef cattle and goats fed at maintenance energy levels. However due to high selenium and sulfur concentrations in these forages, long-term consumption could potentially affect animal nutrition unless they are combined with other forages in feeding systems.