Yield and Quality of Forages in a Triple Cropping System in Southern Kyushu, Japan

Bokun Li,Yingkui Yang,Sachiko Idota,Mitsuhiro Niimi,Keiko Nishimura,Yasuyuki Ishii,Manabu Tobisa

doi:10.3390/agronomy9060277

Bokun Li, Yingkui Yang + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9060277

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Abstract

A triple cropping system, combining spring maize, pearl millet, and twice-cut blast disease resistant Italian ryegrass, was examined for the 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 growing seasons to achieve quality herbage production in Miyazaki, southern Kyushu, Japan. The growth of the three crops reached to harvest, even though typhoon and heavy rainfall occurred. Annual dry matter (DM) yield of the triple crops was 4098 g m−2 and 4349 g m−2 in the first and second cropping seasons, respectively. The observed total digestible nutrients (TDN) were higher in spring maize (up to 68.2% and 76.8%), pearl millet (up to 60.0% and 67.9%), and Italian ryegrass (up to 71.6% and 68.6%), during the first and second season, respectively, leading to an annual TDN yield of 2357 g m−2 and 2938 g m−2. The results suggest that the present established triple cropping system is feasible for obtaining high yields with more digestible nutrients in the forages.

Highlights

The world is facing global challenges with the projected increase in world population from the current seven-billion people to 9.6-billion people by 2050 [1]
In southern Kyushu, Japan, Yang et al [15] developed a triple maize with barley cropping system to achieve a high level of dry matter (DM) yield at 40 Mg/ha in southern Kyushu, Japan
The second and third maize and the winter barley crops were replaced with pearl millet and Italian ryegrass to achieve quality herbage production

Summary

Introduction

The world is facing global challenges with the projected increase in world population from the current seven-billion people to 9.6-billion people by 2050 [1]. In eastern Asian countries, including China and Japan, feed supply for animal production largely depends on imported concentrates, and it is affected by the unstable and increasing tendency in the price of imported feeds [7]. This is due to adverse climatic conditions in forage producing areas, such as the corn belt in the United States, competition with bio-fuel feedstuffs, variable international exchange rates, and fluctuating prices of petroleum used in the operation of farm machinery and transportation [8]. The mitigation of stress in forage cropping systems varies for specific regions [10,11], such as Europe and China [12], and optimum management practices include

Results

Discussion

Conclusion