Relay Intercropping Winter Cover Crop Effects on Spring Forage Potential of Sweet Maize Stover and Yearling Cattle Beef Performance
Small landholders who grow sweet maize for the fresh produce market often also have cattle with little access to winter forage. Grazing cover crops with sweet maize stover can potentially increase the available nutritive value. A 3-year randomized complete block study with three replicates at New Me...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/15/1923 |
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| author | Leonard M. Lauriault Steven J. Guldan Fernanda G. Popiel-Powers Robert L. Steiner Charles A. Martin Constance L. Falk Mark K. Petersen Tammy May |
| author_facet | Leonard M. Lauriault Steven J. Guldan Fernanda G. Popiel-Powers Robert L. Steiner Charles A. Martin Constance L. Falk Mark K. Petersen Tammy May |
| author_sort | Leonard M. Lauriault |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Small landholders who grow sweet maize for the fresh produce market often also have cattle with little access to winter forage. Grazing cover crops with sweet maize stover can potentially increase the available nutritive value. A 3-year randomized complete block study with three replicates at New Mexico State University’s Alcalde Sustainable Agriculture Science Center compared sweet maize (<i>Zea mays</i> var. <i>rugosa</i>) with sweet maize relay intercropped at the V7–9 stage with cereal rye (rye: <i>Secale cereale</i> L.) or hairy vetch (vetch: <i>Vicia villosa</i> Roth) for early spring grazing. Intercropping the rye or hairy vetch into sweet maize did not influence the sweet maize stover biomass yield or nutritive value after the winter. The dry matter (DM) yield and crude protein (CP) concentration of hairy vetch biomass was greater (<i>p</i> < 0.01) than rye biomass (1.46 vs. 2.94 Mg DM ha<sup>−1</sup> for rye and hairy vetch, respectively, and 145 vs. 193 g CP kg<sup>−1</sup> for rye and hairy vetch, respectively). Average daily gains by yearling cattle were not different when grazing maize–rye or maize–vetch. Producers should consider the spring planting timing of the primary crop and the initiation of grazing in the winter or the spring to maximize the utilization of the previous crop’s residue (stover), as well as the cover crop itself. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:40:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7da365fcd66840849b08954f8577a879 |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:40:16Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-7da365fcd66840849b08954f8577a8792023-12-03T12:25:47ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152022-07-011215192310.3390/ani12151923Relay Intercropping Winter Cover Crop Effects on Spring Forage Potential of Sweet Maize Stover and Yearling Cattle Beef PerformanceLeonard M. Lauriault0Steven J. Guldan1Fernanda G. Popiel-Powers2Robert L. Steiner3Charles A. Martin4Constance L. Falk5Mark K. Petersen6Tammy May7Rex E. Kirksey Agriculture Science Center, New Mexico State University, Tucumcari, NM 88401, USASustainable Agriculture Science Center, New Mexico State University, Alcalde, NM 87511, USASustainable Agriculture Science Center, New Mexico State University, Alcalde, NM 87511, USADepartment of Economics and International Business, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USASustainable Agriculture Science Center, New Mexico State University, Alcalde, NM 87511, USADepartment Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business (Emeritus), New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USAUSDA-ARS Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory (Retired), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Miles City, MT 59301, USAAnimal and Range Sciences Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USASmall landholders who grow sweet maize for the fresh produce market often also have cattle with little access to winter forage. Grazing cover crops with sweet maize stover can potentially increase the available nutritive value. A 3-year randomized complete block study with three replicates at New Mexico State University’s Alcalde Sustainable Agriculture Science Center compared sweet maize (<i>Zea mays</i> var. <i>rugosa</i>) with sweet maize relay intercropped at the V7–9 stage with cereal rye (rye: <i>Secale cereale</i> L.) or hairy vetch (vetch: <i>Vicia villosa</i> Roth) for early spring grazing. Intercropping the rye or hairy vetch into sweet maize did not influence the sweet maize stover biomass yield or nutritive value after the winter. The dry matter (DM) yield and crude protein (CP) concentration of hairy vetch biomass was greater (<i>p</i> < 0.01) than rye biomass (1.46 vs. 2.94 Mg DM ha<sup>−1</sup> for rye and hairy vetch, respectively, and 145 vs. 193 g CP kg<sup>−1</sup> for rye and hairy vetch, respectively). Average daily gains by yearling cattle were not different when grazing maize–rye or maize–vetch. Producers should consider the spring planting timing of the primary crop and the initiation of grazing in the winter or the spring to maximize the utilization of the previous crop’s residue (stover), as well as the cover crop itself.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/15/1923foragesweet maizecereal ryehairy vetchrelay intercroppinggrazing |
| spellingShingle | Leonard M. Lauriault Steven J. Guldan Fernanda G. Popiel-Powers Robert L. Steiner Charles A. Martin Constance L. Falk Mark K. Petersen Tammy May Relay Intercropping Winter Cover Crop Effects on Spring Forage Potential of Sweet Maize Stover and Yearling Cattle Beef Performance Animals forage sweet maize cereal rye hairy vetch relay intercropping grazing |
| title | Relay Intercropping Winter Cover Crop Effects on Spring Forage Potential of Sweet Maize Stover and Yearling Cattle Beef Performance |
| title_full | Relay Intercropping Winter Cover Crop Effects on Spring Forage Potential of Sweet Maize Stover and Yearling Cattle Beef Performance |
| title_fullStr | Relay Intercropping Winter Cover Crop Effects on Spring Forage Potential of Sweet Maize Stover and Yearling Cattle Beef Performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Relay Intercropping Winter Cover Crop Effects on Spring Forage Potential of Sweet Maize Stover and Yearling Cattle Beef Performance |
| title_short | Relay Intercropping Winter Cover Crop Effects on Spring Forage Potential of Sweet Maize Stover and Yearling Cattle Beef Performance |
| title_sort | relay intercropping winter cover crop effects on spring forage potential of sweet maize stover and yearling cattle beef performance |
| topic | forage sweet maize cereal rye hairy vetch relay intercropping grazing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/15/1923 |
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