Curing Coastal Bermudagrass Hay: Effects of Weather, Yield, and Quality of Fresh Herbage on Drying Rate, Yield, and Quality of Cured Hay
1967
Hart, Richard H. | Burton, Glenn W.
Moisture losses and changes in yield and quality of 64 lots of Coastal bermudagrass hay were studied during curing. Water content of grass after a day of curing was significantly influenced by initial water content, vapor pressure deficit of the air, solar radiation, and yield; there was a significant interaction of initial water content with the other three factors. Water content of the grass might increase or decrease during the night, depending upon water content at the end of the previous day, vapor pressure deficit, and yield. Dry matter yield and crude protein and digestible dry matter content decreased slightly in good curing weather and sharply in rainy weather. Carotene losses were associated with total radiation received during curing. We concluded that rain during curing would produce greater losses in quality than delaying harvest until better weather was predicted
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