Effect Of Harvest Date Research Articles

Less hay collected at more dates: toward successful restoration of subtropical grasslands by hay transfer

Hay transfer is a promising method to restore temperate and subtropical grasslands, but its efficiency may depend on the harvesting timing and amount of hay used. We evaluated effects of harvest date (mid‐spring/November, early summer/December, and mid‐summer/February) and hay quantity (500 and 1000 g/m2) on vegetation cover, species richness, and species composition in an experimental study in subtropical southern Brazil for a period of 2 years. We transfer undried hay from a well‐conserved reference area onto a former grassland site degraded by pine plantations. Hay harvested during mid‐spring and early summer led to higher soil cover and species richness compared to the mid‐summer hay treatment in the first year of the experiment. A drought spell decreased vegetation cover in the second year following the hay transfer, with the mid‐spring hay treatment being the least affected. C3 grasses were more effectively introduced by mid‐spring and early summer hay, in contrast to C4 grasses that were better introduced by mid‐summer hay. Lower quantities of hay tended to lead to higher cover and species richness for all harvest dates. Freshly cut undried hay can be an effective way to reintroduce native species in degraded subtropical grasslands. We conclude that timing of hay collection and the amount of hay used influence vegetation cover and species composition at the restoration site and that multiple harvest dates increase restoration success. The drought in the second year of the experiment illustrates the need to consider the possibility of adverse climatic conditions in restoration planning.

Effects of Harvest Date and Ensiling Additives on the Optimized Ensiling of Silphium Perfoliatum to Prevent Faulty Fermentation

Silphium perfoliatum, an energy crop with a high fiber content but low concentrations of fermentable carbohydrates, presents challenges for complete fermentation in biogas production. To overcome this, a bioeconomic approach proposes the use of the fibers for paper and board production, which requires high-quality silage with minimal butyric acid, which affects the marketability of the fibers. This study aims to optimize the silaging process of Silphium perfoliatum by investigating the effects of harvest date, bacterial cultures and additives on fermentation results. Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of three harvest dates on fermentation acid composition, with a focus on increasing lactic acid production to inhibit butyric acid formation. Results indicate that an early harvest date (early September) is critical for achieving stable fermentation and minimizing ensiling losses. The addition of sugar-rich additives, such as syrup, was found to be essential, especially for later harvest dates. Despite these interventions, a late harvest (early November) consistently resulted in suboptimal fermentation. The results suggest that optimizing harvest timing and incorporating appropriate additives are key strategies for producing high quality silage and ensuring the suitability of Silphium perfoliatum fibers for industrial applications.

Effect of plant biostimulants, harvesting dates, and storage periods on Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) seed quality in newly reclaimed soils

Effect of plant biostimulants, harvesting dates, and storage periods on Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) seed quality in newly reclaimed soils

Effect of harvesting date and cultivar on yield, chemical, quality and production of biscuits from mixture of cassava and soft wheat flour

Effect of harvesting date and cultivar on yield, chemical, quality and production of biscuits from mixture of cassava and soft wheat flour

Effect of Rootstock and Fruit Harvest Date on Quantitative, Qualitative and Storage Attributes of ‘Golden Delicious’ Apple

Effect of Rootstock and Fruit Harvest Date on Quantitative, Qualitative and Storage Attributes of ‘Golden Delicious’ Apple

Effects of grass species and harvest date on cell wall components and feed efficiency of dairy cows

There is a balance between DM yield and feed value when choosing types of grasses on a farm depending on the acreages of farmland and types of ruminants to be fed. Therefore, optimisation of the harvest strategy for grass silage is important for profitable dairy farming. Tall fescue has high DM yield and can replace traditional grasses, such as timothy, in Northern Europe in a changing climate as it has been shown to be more drought tolerant. As differences in climate responses previously have been related to differences in cell wall structure between grass species and, consequently, in digestibility, it is highly relevant to compare these species at similar maturity stages and to investigate if a very early harvest date will diminish potential differences between the species. This study evaluated the effects of harvest date and forage species on the concentration of hydroxycinnamic acids in silages and its relationship to feed efficiency of dairy cows. Tall fescue and timothy were harvested at very early date on May 25 or at early date on May 31 in the spring growth cycle. Forty lactating dairy cows were used in a block design. Cows received 1 of 4 treatments: (1) tall fescue harvested at very early date, (2) timothy harvested at very early date, (3) tall fescue harvested at early date, and (4) timothy harvested at early date. Diets were formulated to have the same forage-to-concentrate ratio (49:51 on DM basis). Tall fescue silages showed greater concentrations of DM, ash, and CP than timothy silages. Grasses harvested at early date showed greater concentrations of NDF, ADL, and cell wall than grasses harvested at very early date. Tall fescue silages showed greater concentration of p-coumaric acid and lower in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) compared to timothy silages. Milk production and composition were not affected by treatments but cows fed tall fescue-based diets showed lower milk protein yield and greater milk urea nitrogen than when timothy-based diets were fed. Furthermore, cows receiving timothy-based diets showed greater feed efficiency compared to cows receiving tall fescue-based diets. Thus, the lower concentration of p-coumaric acid and the higher IVOMD was associated with greater feed efficiency of cows fed timothy-based diets compared to tall fescue-based diets.

Effects of harvest date and additives on maize silage quality under boreal conditions

There is increasing interest in Finland to cultivate maize for silage, although the climatic conditions are in the borderline for maize due to the short and cool growing season. This may result in an immature crop that differs from typical maize for ensiling by having low dry matter (DM) and starch concentrations. We evaluated the preservation characteristics of forage maize during 2019 and 2020 harvested in Helsinki, Finland, at two stages of maturity. The DM concentration of the crops ranged from 230 to 360 g kg-1, and starch concentration from 179 to 283 g kg-1 DM. The crops were ensiled in laboratory scale using four different chemical organic acid based additives or a heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria inoculant. A control silage without additive treatment was also included. All silages were well fermented with low pH (average 3.75) and proportion of ammonia N in total N (average 47 g kg-1). Formic acid based additives restricted silage fermentation and most chemical additives improved the aerobic stability of maize silages compared to the control and inoculant treated silages that, under the conditions of the current study, did not differ from each other.

Intake, in vivo digestibility and protein utilization of wethers fed timothy or tall fescue when harvested at different dates in the first regrowth cycle

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of harvest date in the first regrowth cycle and grass species on intake, in vivo digestibility and its relation to protein utilization in wethers fed timothy or tall fescue silages. Timothy and tall fescue were harvested at regular (RTI and RTF, respectively) or late date (LTI and LTF, respectively) in the first regrowth, creating four experimental silages. Eight wethers were used in a duplicated 4 × 4 Latin square. Experimental periods lasted for 4 wk and wethers were fed ad libitum during the first 3 wk, with intake recorded during the third week. During the fourth week, wethers were fed 80% of ad libitum, and feces and urine were collected during the last 4 d. Wethers receiving RTI showed the greatest DM intake when expressed as kg/d or as percentage of body weight (BW) (P≤0.05). The intake of neutral detergent fiber (aNDFom) was affected by forage species only, where animals fed timothy silages had greater aNDFom intake than animals fed tall fescue silages (P<0.001). Intakes of CP and sum of the protein fractions A, B1 and B2 (AB1B2) were affected by the interaction between harvest date and forage species, where wethers fed RTI showed the greatest intakes of CP (P=0.001) and AB1B2 (P=0.02). Harvesting the forages at late date decreased the in vivo digestibility in wethers but only for timothy, where animals fed LTI silage showed the lowest DM (P<0.001), organic matter (OM) (P<0.001), aNDFom (P=0.02) and acid detergent fiber (P=0.004) digestibility, and a tendency for lower CP digestibility (P=0.07) compared with the other silages. Wethers fed RTI silage showed greater intake of nitrogen (N) (P=0.001) and digestible OM (P=0.003), greater allantoin (P=0.03) and hippuric acid (P=0.05) excretions, greater microbial N flow (P=0.03), and a tendency for greater excretion of fecal N (P=0.09) compared with the other silage-fed animals. In conclusion, delayed harvest decreased in vivo digestibility only in timothy, but even with lower in vivo digestibility wethers fed timothy silages showed a greater intake than wethers fed tall fescue silages, likely due to lower concentration of hydroxycinnamic acids observed in timothy compared with tall fescue as published previously.

169 Hemp as a forage crop: Harvest date effects on yield and nutritive value

Abstract Hemp (Cannabis sativaL.) has been a valuable species for humans throughout history due to its adaptability and diverse uses. Farmers are interested in hemp as a forage and feedstuff due to its unique nutritional properties and rapid summer production. This study examined yield and nutritive value of three hemp cultivars, ‘Grandi’, ‘Joey’, and ‘EcoFibre’ as potential forage crops when harvested at weekly intervals in Blacksburg, VA, USA, during 2021 and 2022. The greatest biomass and TDN yield across all cultivars were 3.17 Mg ha-1 and 2.08 Mg ha-1, respectively, at 2 mo after establishment in 2021. However, biomass and TDN yield were 1.9 Mg ha-1 and 1.03 Mg ha-1, respectively at 2 mo after establishment in 2022. The nutritive value in hemp plant biomass harvested at different times varied by cultivar and harvest time (P &amp;lt; 0.05). Depending on cultivar and harvest time, hemp plant biomass contained 13 to 32% CP, 22 to 45% NDF, 20 to 38% ADF, 4 to 9% lignin, and 52 to 80% TDN (cultivar × time interaction; P &amp;lt; 0.05). Hemp CP and TDN decreased gradually with maturation while ADF, NDF, and lignin increased; however, this decline with maturity did not appear as severe as occurs with many other forages. These preliminary results suggest that hemp has the potential to be used as a forage crop. More research is needed to address hemp management and utilization, including field establishment and production, harvest timing for optimum tonnage and forage quality, and animal intake and performance studies.

EFFECT OF CULTIVARS AND HARVEST DATES ON SOME TRAITS OF YIELD IN RICE

A field experiment was carried out at Rice Researches Station in Mashkhab, Najaf in 2020 and 2021 seasons to study the effect of cultivars and harvest date on some traits of rice yield. Randomized complete block design was applied within split-plot with four replications. Five cultivars of rice (Amber 33, Yasmin, Dijlah, Amber-albaraka and Furat 1) were distributed in the main plots and five harvest dates (harvest at physiological maturity and harvest after 7, 14, 21 and 28 days of physiological maturity) in the sub-plots. The results showed significant difference among cultivars, and superiority cultivars of Dijlah, Furat 1 and Yasmin in recording the highest yield due to its superiority in number of grains per panicle or weight of grain. It can be concluded that traits of grain number in panicle and weight of 1000-grain were among the most influential traits in determining the grain yield, and date of harvest plays an active role in determining the traits of yield. Third harvest date was the best in grain yield, and early harvest before that date would cause loss of yield for all cultivars due to the high grain moisture, and delay after that date would cause a loss of yield as a result of shattering ratio of grain, in addition to difference of cultivars in recording shattering ratio according to harvest date. It can be recommended planting cultivars of Dijlah, Furat 1 and Yasmin, as they achieved the highest yield, and considering the harvest date 14 days after physiological maturity the best date to obtain the highest grain yield.

Análise econômica dos efeitos do ponto de colheita sobre a qualidade e a produtividade de maçãs ‘Fuji Suprema’

Abstract This study aimed to analyze the effect of harvest date on ‘Fuji Suprema’ apple quality, productivity, and economic profitability at harvest and after storage. Apples were harvested at the beginning of the commercial harvest window (H1), ten days after H1 (H2), and 22 days after H1 (H3) in the 2008 and 2009 growing seasons. A total of six samples with ~400 kg of fruit (~2,900 apples) each were picked at each growing season and harvest date, which were assessed at harvest (six subsamples of 100 fruit) and after 250 days of controlled atmosphere storage at 0.8 °C. The economic analysis considered fixed and variable production costs in the orchard and postharvest practices and the productivity of packaged apples (pack-out). Early harvested (H1) apples had greater flesh firmness, acidity, and lower soluble solids content than late-harvested apples (H3), both at harvest and after storage. Delaying harvest by 22 days increased the production by 10.2% due to increased fruit size but reduced the production by 3.6% due to severe sunburn and pre-harvest decay incidence. Late harvest also increased production losses due to decay by 4.4% and 10.9% during storage and shelf, respectively, but reduced production losses due to superficial scald by 17.1 to 22.7%. The net revenue (R$ ha-1) is higher for apples harvested late (H3, flesh firmness of 15.6 lb and starch index of 7.1) than for apples harvested early (H1 and H2) when the fruit is marketed soon after harvest (between April and May). However, for apples marketed after long-term storage, economic profitability is maximum when harvested at an intermediate maturity stage (H2, flesh firmness of 16.4 lb and starch index of 6).

Live and carcass production traits for progeny of an F1 USDA Prime-Yield Grade 1 carcass clone sire compared to progeny of popular beef terminal sires.

The cloning of beef carcasses that grade United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)Prime-yield grade (YG) 1 (P1) has produced a sire that ranked well against high-performing bulls from multiple breeds. An F1 (P1 × P1 - first generation offspring) sire would ideally outperform its high-performing parents. A terminal sire study was conducted comparing progeny of an F1 (P1 × P1) sire (AxG1) against progeny (heifers and steers) of four high-performing sires of varying breeds {P1 (ALPHA); Angus; Simmental; Angus × Simmental}. Production traits included morbidity and mortality frequencies, weaning weight, feedlot arrival weight, and days on feed; carcass traits included frequency of abscessed liver and lung health, quality grade and YG parameters, total carcass value (US$), and carcass value per hundredweight (CWT [45.4 kg]; US$). A completely randomized experimental design was used; data were analyzed using a mixed model with a fixed effect of sire and random effects of harvest date, sex, and pen. AxG1 sired heifers had the highest (P < 0.01) marbling score, the highest (P < 0.01) carcass value per CWT, and numerically had the lowest calculated YG and highest frequency of YG one carcass. Steers sired by AxG1 had the least (P = 0.05) backfat, lowest (P < 0.01) calculated YG, highest (P < 0.01) marbling score, highest (P < 0.01) frequency of USDA Prime carcasses, the greatest (P < 0.03) total carcass value, and greatest (P < 0.01) carcass value per CWT. Collectively, AxG1 steer and heifer carcasses exhibited the least 12th rib fat thickness and lowest USDA YG in addition to the largest longissimus muscle area, highest marbling score, and greatest frequency of USDA Prime. These data suggest that AxG1 performed comparably to other high-performing industry terminal sires in carcass quality and YG outcomes.

Antioxidants of blushed and unblushed sides in relation to superficial scald of ‘NY2’ (RubyFrost®) apples treated preharvest with 1-methylcyclopropene and aminoethoxyvinylglycine

The effects of plant growth regulators (PGRs) and harvest date on antioxidant contents at harvest and superficial scald development in ‘NY2’ apple during storage have been studied. Aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG, ReTain®) and 1-methylcyclopropane (1-MCP, Harvista™) were sprayed two and one weeks, respectively, before the first of three weekly harvests. The apples were stored at 0.5 °C for 20 weeks + 7 d at 20 °C. At harvest, color and index of absorbance difference (IAD) values, and contents of total phenolics, anthocyanins, chlorophylls, carotenoids, ascorbic acid (TAA), dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) glutathione (GSH), reduced glutathione (GSSG) and total antioxidant activity of blushed and unblushed sides of the apple were measured. The antioxidant contents increased with later harvest dates. Chlorophyll and GSSG were higher in unblushed than blushed skin tissues, while all antioxidant contents were highest in blushed skin tissues. Superficial scald incidence was highly correlated with less mature fruit, lower fruit anthocyanin, higher chlorophyll content at harvest. α-Farnesene, conjugated trienols (CTols), and IAD value index were measured at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 15, and 20 weeks at 0.5 ⁰C for fruit from harvest 1. Scald incidence and severity was higher in AVG-treated fruit than untreated or 1-MCP treated fruit and did not decrease at later harvest dates. Using harvest management and preharvest application of plant growth regulators is a promising strategy to improve the nutritional value of 'NY2′ apples, reduce physiological disorders, and maintain fruit quality.

Impact of delaying harvesting dates for sugar beet varieties under recent environmental changes

The present study was conducted at Experimental Sennuris District in Fayoum Governorate, Egypt (latitude of 29024/26//N and longitude of 30052/00//E) to investigate the effect of harvest dates on some sugar beet varieties concerning their yield and quality. Two successive field experiments were carried out in the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022. A randomized complete block split plots were assigned for the four harvesting dates (mid-February, 1st week of March, mid-March and 1st week of April), i.e. at the age of 180, 195, 210 and 225 days after sowing. The sub-plots were occupied by the four sugar beet varieties i.e. (Faraida, Jampol, Fantazja and Melodia). The obtained results revealed that there were significant differences among the four studied harvesting dates concerning root length, diameter and weight as well as root yield in both seasons. The highest values were obtained by delaying the harvesting up to 225 days from sowing. Concerning the quality traits, neither the harvesting date nor the varieties affected sucrose, purity (QZ), sodium, potassium, α-amino N and sugar recovery percentages in both seasons. However, the upper mid-harvesting date i.e. age of 195 days from sowing recorded the lower significant impurities and SLM percentages in the 1st season only.

Effect of harvest dates, mycorrhiza, and some biostimulants on some vegetative growth properties and yield of volatile oil for sweet scented geranium plant (Pelargonium graveolens L.Herit.)

The experiment was carried out in one of the fields of Research Station B in the College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences / University of Baghdad - Al-Jadiriya on the fragrant plant for the spring season 2021 in order to study the effect of harvest date, mycorrhiza, bio-stimulants and the interaction among them on some characteristics of vegetative growth and the essential oil yield of sweet-scented geranium plants. The experiment used a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with a split-plot design with three replications. The experiment included three factors, as the factor of harvest dates represents the main panels with two harvest dates, which are 60 and 90 after planting and symbolized by H1 and H2. In contrast, the secondary panels include the treatment of the mycorrhizal fungal vaccine by two treatments, namely, not adding the mycorrhizal fungal vaccine to the root system and adding it with symbols M1 and M2 As for the sub-secondary panels, the treatments include four stimulating factors: the measurement treatment and the spraying of the vegetative mass with the amino acid phenylalanine at a concentration of 300 mg l ̄¹. The treatment of spraying the foliage with moringa leaf extract at a concentration of 10 gm L ̄¹ and the treatment of spraying the foliage with licorice root powder extract at a concentration of 10gm L ̄¹symbolized by B1, B2, B3, and B4 respectively. The results showed the superiority of the H2 treatment in most indicators of vegetative growth, as well as the increase in the percentages of each of the nutrients and volatile oil in the dried leaves and the volatile oil yield in the dried leaves. Treatment M2 significantly increased all vegetative growth characteristics as well as the percentages of nutrients and volatile oil in dried leaves and volatile oil yield in dried leaves. In contrast, treatment B3 showed an increase in the number of main branches, total number of leaves, total leaf area, fresh and dry weight of leaf yield in the plant and the content of The dried leaves of total chlorophyll as well as the percentages of nutrients and volatile oil in the dried leaves of the plant and the yield of volatile oil in the dried leaves. In contrast, treatment B2 had a significant effect in increasing the plant height rate, the number of main branches and the fresh weight of the leaves. It is one of the most prominent triple interaction treatments recorded. The largest increase in all the traits studied above is the triple interaction H2M2B3 treatment, which was characterized by an Bionatura http://dx.doi.org/10.21931/RB/CSS/2023.08.04.69 2 increase in most vegetative growth characteristics, especially the wet and dry weight of leaves and the percentages of nutrients as well as the percentage of volatile oil and volatile oil yield in the leaves. The triple interaction treatment H2M2B4 was also characterized by its recording of Remarkable superiority in both plant height and leaf content of Total chlorophyll and potassium percentage. Keywords: Sweet-scented geranium plant, Harvest date, Mycorrhizae, Biostimulants, vegetative growth, volatile oil.

Effect of cultivars and harvest dates on rice seeds vigore

A laboratory experiment was carried out according to a completely randomized design with four repetitions on the seeds resulting from a field experiment applied for the two seasons, 2020 and 2021, to find out the effect of the cultivars (Ambar 33, Yasamin, Dijlah, Ambar Al-Baraka and Furat 1) and the harvest dates (at physiological maturity and after 7 and 14, 21 and 28 days of physiological maturity) on the vigour of rice seeds. The results showed the superiority of the seeds of the cultivar Anbar Al-Baraka at first and final counting, dry weight of the seedling, seedling vigor index and electrical conductivity, and the superiority of the seeds of Dijla cultivar at accelerated aging test and cold test without significant difference with the Anbar Al-Baraka cultivar in both seasons. The harvest date exceeded 14 days after physiological maturity at all studied traits in both seasons. Anbar Al-Baraka at the harvest 14 days after physiological maturity was superior at most studied traits. It can be concluded that the seeds of the cultivar Amber Al-Baraka showed the best performance at seed vigor, primarily harvested after 14 days of physiological maturity. Keywords: accelerating aging, cold test, Oryza sativa, first count, seedling vigour, physiological maturity

Predicting the optimum harvesting dates for different exotic apple varieties grown under North Western Himalayan regions through acoustic and machine vision techniques.

Acoustic system and machine vision were used to evaluate the effects of different harvest dates on the quality and sensory attributes of exotic apple varieties of North Western Himalayan. Gala Redlum (V1) was harvested at 110 (H1), 120 (H2) and 130 (H3) Days from Full Bloom (DFFB); Red Velox (V2) and Super Chief (V3) were harvested at 130 (H1), 140 (H2) and 150 (H3) DFFB. Highest acoustic coefficient (21.13) and firmness (20.72 lbs) recorded at first harvest date (H1) decreased significantly (p (19.86 to 17.90 lbs) at second harvest (H2) and (17.77 to 16.80 lbs) at third harvest date. Highest starch iodine rating (3.72); anthocyanin content (24.81mg/100g); total soluble solids (12.10 %); total sugars (8.75 %) were recorded at H3 in all the varieties. For Gala Redlum (V1) 130 DFFB and for Red Velox (V2) and Super Chief (V3) 150 DFFB were predicted as suitable harvesting dates for table consumption.

Effects of harvest date on plant growth parameters and fruit phytochemical contents in different cultivars of chokeberry

Chokeberry, a type of berry fruit, has garnered attention in recent years due to its remarkable antioxidant properties. The rich bioactive components found in its fruits have been found to exert positive effects on human health. In this research, the growth, yield, and quality of two chokeberry cultivars (‘Nero’ and ‘Viking’) were evaluated, along with detailed biochemical parameters of the fruits, across different harvest dates ranging from mid-August to mid-September. During the experiment, it was observed that the ‘Viking’ cultivar exhibited more upright and taller plant growth than ‘Nero’. There were no significant differences observed between the cultivars in terms of yield, total soluble solids (TSS), total phenolic content (TPC), total monomeric anthocyanins (TMA), and antioxidant activity. However, ‘Nero’ demonstrated superiority in phenolic acids (excluding ferulic acid), glucose, citric acid, quinic acid, and ascorbic acid content. As the harvest progressed from August 31 to September 15, there was an increase in the accumulation of fruit TSS, TPC, TMA, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, epicatechin, neo-chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and ferulic acid. Harvest dates did not impact antioxidant activity and anthocyanin compound values. Among the taste-related compounds, sorbitol was determined to be the most abundant, while sucrose exhibited a positive correlation with all individual sugars. Additionally, malic acid and quinic acid showed a positive correlation. The combination of the ‘Nero’ cultivar and the September 15th harvest date stood out as the most prominent in superior fruit bioactive compounds.

Chemical composition and in vitro gas production of Brachiaria decumbens harvested at different stages of growth in the hot humid region

The study evaluated the effect of harvesting date on the chemical composition and in vitro gas production of the botanic fractions of Brachiaria decumbens grass. The botanic fractions (leaf, stem and whole plant) of the grass at two maturities (60 and 120 days) in a Completely Randomised Design with factorial arrangement. Samples of botanic fractions at the different harvest dates were chemically analyzed for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), fibre concentrations and in vitro gas production (IVGP) was measured at 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96 h to estimate the volume and rate of gas production. Short-chain volatile fatty acids, microbial protein production, in vitro organic matter digestibility, and metabolizable energy were estimated from established models. Organic matter, crude fibre, NDF, ADF and ADL increased (P&lt;0.05) with increasing maturity whereas the reverse was so for CP and ash contents (P&lt;0.05). Significant interactions (P&lt;0.05) between harvest date and plant fraction were present for both ‘b’ and ‘c’ attributable to treatment effects. Potential gas production ‘b’ elicited a negative response for all plant fractions across the two harvest dates as the values decreased linearly. The rate at which the gases were produced ‘c’ also induced a negative response for the leaf and whole fraction but a positive one for the stem fraction. The nutrient composition and gas production characteristics of grasses harvested at day 60 offer a better potential as high quality forage for improved intake and digestibility. The leaf fractions performed relatively better based on the afore-mentioned methods of quality assessment at both maturity periods.

The Effect of Harvest Dates on Production, Lipid Composition, Aspergillus Section Flavi Contamination, and Aflatoxin Production in High Oleic Acid Peanut Cultivars in Brazil

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of harvest dates on peanut yield, total lipid, fatty acid composition, phytosterols, Aspergillus section Flavi, and aflatoxin occurrence in two important high oleic peanut cultivars (IAC 503 and IAC OL3) in Brazil. Peanut yield and shelling percentage variation were not significant throughout the harvest dates for both cultivars. Total lipid concentration was higher in IAC 503 (48 g/100 g) than in IAC OL3 (45 g/100 g) cultivar and increased significantly over harvest time. Stearic acid showed significant variation during the harvest dates among the fatty acids. Stigmasterol concentration increased over harvest time in both cultivars. The harvest date influenced the quantities of Aspergillus section Flavi in the IAC OL3 cultivar. No sample showed contamination by aflatoxins. The proposed harvest dates slightly influenced the main compounds evaluated. These preliminary results are promising, considering the versatility they could bring to the peanut production chain.