Effects of different harvest periods on bristle oat forage and seed production

Abstract

This research was conducted at the UNESP - Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil, to evaluate the production and quality of dry matter (DM) and of the seeds of bristle oat (Avena strigosa Schreb.) harvested at different times. The DM production and leaf/stem (L/S) ratio as well as the chemical composition and the in vitro DM digestibility (IVDMD) were determined weekly in plants harvested from August 14 to September 11/89. The production and quality of the seeds were evaluated from September 18 to October 9/89. The DM production increased when the plants were harvested from August 14 to September 11/89. The L/S ratio, the percentage of crude protein and the IVDMD (%) in the whole plant (WP) in the leaf (L), in the stem (S) decreased, while the percentage of crude fiber (% CF) in WP, in the L, in the S increased when the plants where harvested at 77, 84, 91, 98, and 105 days of growth, respectively. The production of seeds was not affected by the time of harvest. However, the seeds harvested later presented a higher value of pure viable seeds (PVS%). The results indicate that the bristle oat presents a short growth cycle at the Jaboticabal region.