Effect of row spacing and cutting times on forage yiel in some sorghum varieties (sorghum bicolor L. Moench)‎

Abstract EN

The experiment was carried out to study forage yield of sorghum varieties (sorghum bicolor l.

moench) as affected by row spacing and cutting.

this experiment was conducted at grda-rasha research station - college of agriculture-Salahaddin university-erbil, during summer season (2015).

a split-spilt plot within randomized complete block with three replicates was designed.

three varieties of sorghum (rabih, anqath and kaffir 2) allocated in the main plots and three row spacing (30, 45 and 60) cm was allocated in sub plots, while cutting frequency (cutting once and cutting twice ) laid as in sub- sub plot which done .

each replication consists of 18 treatment units.

the studied characters were: leaves/stems ratio, total green forage yield (t ha-1 ) and total dry forage yield (t ha-1).the results of this study can be summarized as following : rabih recorded green and dry forage (95.09, 22.20) t ha-1 respectively, as well as highest leaves/stems ratio (0.66), and had stable forage yield at cutting frequency.

planting at 30 cm row spacing exhibited superiority for total green and dry forage yield for all varieties.

the green forage yield at 30 cm row spacing (100.79) t ha-1 and dry yield was (23.67) t ha-1.

comparing to the forage green and dry yield at 60 cm row spacing which were (55.50) and (12.41) t ha-1 respectively.

cutting once gave highest green and dry forage yield (86.71, 20.20) and (65.07, 14.35) t ha-1 except rabih variety which showed highest green forage yield at cutting twice (136.66).