Dry matter yield and nutritive value of early‐ or late‐maturing spring wheat, spring barley, and oat cultivars planted in late summer

Abstract

AbstractThe objectives of this experiment were to evaluate early‐ and late‐maturing cultivars of oat (Avena sativa L.), spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) for autumn forage production and nutritive value. Early‐ and late‐maturing cultivars evaluated were ‘Newport’ and ‘Hays’ barley, ‘Select’ and ‘Iguacu’ wheat, and ‘Ogle’ and ‘ForagePlus’ oat. Field plots were arranged in a randomized complete block design with six replications (blocks) each year for 72 plots across the 2‐yr trial. For 2016, yields of dry matter (DM) were greatest for the barley cultivars (mean = 6,828 lb DM acre–1); all the other cultivars exhibited similar yields (P > 0.05; mean = 5,597 lb DM acre–1). For 2017, the yield responses for Newport barley (4,422 lb DM acre–1) were greater than all other cultivars, which did not differ from each other (P > 0.05; mean = 2,712 lb DM acre–1). Generally, wheat and oat cultivars differed by early‐ or late‐maturing designation for most measures of nutritive value; however, barley cultivars differed only for whole‐plant ash. Total digestible nutrients were similar (P > 0.05) for early‐maturing Newport barley and all late‐maturing cultivars (mean = 66.0%); collectively, their energy densities were greater than those observed for early‐maturing Select wheat (62.8%) or Ogle oat (61.3%). Within species, in vitro disappearance of DM and fiber were greatest for the late‐maturing cultivars, with ForagePlus exhibiting the greatest disappearance. Spring wheat or barley are viable choices for emergency autumn forage in the north‐central United States.