Abstract:

This study was conducted in Bornova experimental fields of Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ege, during 2015 and 2016, in order to determine the effect of different cutting intervals on the dry matter (DM) yield and some quality properties of giant king grass (Pennisetum hybridum). The experimental design was in complete randomized blocks, with three replications. 6 years old, Paraíso cultivar was used as crop material. Six different cutting intervals (30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 days) tested in the study, some characteristics were measured such as plant height, DM matter yield, metabolisable energy (ME) and relative forage values (RFV). Results indicated that there were significant effects of cutting frequencies on DM yield and some forage quality characteristics of giant king grass, and, ME and RFVs decreased as intercutting interval increased. It was recommended that the production of giant king grass using 60 day intervals were the most successful cutting interval regarding the DM yield and acceptable forage quality to the regions with Mediterranean-type climates under irrigation.

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