Winter annual small grain forage potential. I. Dry matter yield in relation to morphological characteristics of four small grain species at six growth stages

Abstract

Small grains offer a potential animal feed at a time when moisture is usually available in the Southeast. The four major winter annual small grains, barley, oats, rye, and wheat, have not been compared as potential feed sources in the same study in the past. These four small grains were harvested at six stages of growth: vegetative, boot, heading, milk, soft dough, and hard dough. Harvest dates, dry matter (DM) yield, DM yield of regrowth following initial harvest, DM concentration, and the proportions of leaf, stem and inflorescence were measured and used to evaluate the four species for silage production and grazing potential. Rye and barley reached boot prior to the suggested planting date for corn in the Piedmont of North Carolina and dry matter yields ranged from 4.72 to 6.71 Mg ha‐1 and were harvested. Barley reached milk, soft dough, and hard dough earlier than the other species and was equal to or higher than the other species in proportion of DM in leaf DM yield and total DM yield in 1982 and 1983. Wheat DM yield was second to barley from heading to hard dough in 1982 and 1983. Barley DM yield was 69 to 80% of wheat from boot through soft dough in 1984.