Studies on Cropping System for Year-Round Cultivation of Forage Crops in Gyeongnam Province

Present experiment was conducted at the field of Gyeongnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services in Jinju city for two continuous cropping seasons to develop several adaptable and valuable year-round forage-producing system for elevating self-sufficiency and dollar-saving by reduced importing of crude forage. Twenty cropping systems were tested in experiment using whole crop barley (WCB), oat, rye, Italian ryegrass (IRG), and triticale in winter season and corn, sorghum, sorghum × sudangrass hybrid, and oat in summer time. Sorghum × sudangrass hybrid showed highest fresh forage yield among experimented summer season crops, and followed corn. Corn produced the most dry matter yield, and followed sorghum × sudangrass hybrid, sorghum and oat in order. There was no significant effect of former winter crops on fresh and dry matter production succeeding summer time crops. Among winter season forage crops tested, oat showed the highest fresh and dry matter when clipped on mid-May, and followed triticale, IRG, rye and WCB. Winter-time cultivated crops showed no clear effect on the growth and forage (fresh and dry matter) producing ability of following summer crops. There was the most protein content in oat plant among summer season planted crops, and in sorghum for acid detergent fiber (ADF) and in sorghum × sudangrass hybrid for neutral detergent fiber (NDF), respectively. While, corn showed highest value of relative feed value (RFV) and total digestive nutrients (TDN) among those crops. Among winter crops, the highest crude protein was in oat plant showing no significant differences of ADF and NDF, while, relatively higher value of RFV was recognized with rye and triticale. Also, triticale contained more TDN as compare to other forage crops. The cropping combinations such as corn followed by (fb) rye and maize fb triticale were regarded as promising systems having higher dry matter producing ability among tested combinations. Considering TDN producing potential, the combinations with sorghum × sudangrass hybrid fb triticale and/or rye were would be suitable ones, coincidently. There was a tendency which elevating pH, electric conductivity (EC) and organic matter (OM) contents in soil after experiment comparing to before planting. More crude protein content in plant was shown at mid-May clipping as compared to the forage at April cut in all winter season grown crops. ADF and NDF contents were increased by delayed clipping showing decreased tendency of RFV and TDN in plant. In conclusion, many cropping systems would be available using above mentioned forage crops according to farmer's conditions and scale, etc.