CAPES, PAE / Este trabalho teve como objetivo determinar o efeito da adubação potássica em cobertura (0, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400 e 500 kg de K2O ha-1) sobre a produção e valor nutritivo de forragem de alfafa implantada em sistema plantio direto. O experimento foi conduzido de setembro de 2010 a dezembro de 2011, em Pato Branco – PR. O delineamento experimental foi de blocos completamente casualizados com quatro repetições e sete tratamentos (doses de adubação potássica – K2O). As quantidades totais de adubação potássica foram divididas em três aplicações em cobertura (verão, outono e primavera) tendo como fonte o cloreto de potássio (KCl). As variáveis avaliadas foram: produção de matéria seca total (em um ano de avaliação), produção de matéria seca por estação do ano (primavera, verão, outono e inverno), produção de matéria seca por cortes, intervalo entre cortes, altura do dossel na ocasião do corte, concentração de potássio na parte aérea, valor nutritivo da forragem (FDA, PB e NDT), extração de potássio pela planta e teor de potássio no solo em profundidades. Os resultados foram submetidos à análise de variância, a um nível de 5% de significância, ao teste de Tukey para as variáveis qualitativas, e à análise de regressão polinomial para as quantitativas. O nível de adubação potássica não influenciou nenhuma das variáveis exceto o teor de K no solo, que também foi influenciado pela data de coleta e profundidade de amostragem. Produção de MS, concentração de K na parte aérea, teor de proteína bruta e altura do dossel no momento do corte, apenas sofreram influência da data de coleta. / This trial aimed to evaluate the potassium fertilization effects (0, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 kg K2O ha-1) over forage production and nutritive value of alfalfa in the Southwestern Paraná. The experiment was carried out from September 2010 to December 2011 in Pato Branco – PR. Completely randomized blocks experimental design with four replications and seven treatments (potassium – K - fertilization levels) were used. The total amount of K was splitted out on three applications on cover (summer, fall and spring). Potassium chlorate (KCl – 60%) was used. The evaluated variable were: total dry matter production (one year round), dry matter production per harvest, harvests frequencies, sward canopy high in the harvests events, aboveground K concentration, forage nutritive value (NDA, CP, TDN), K plant uptake, and K concentration at different soil depths. The data were analyzed by variance analysis (5% significance). Tukey test was used for qualitative variables and polynomial regression analysis for quantitative variables. None variable was affected by potassium fertilization levels, except K concentration in the soil, this one was also affected by date and depth sampling. Dry matter production, aboveground K concentration, crude protein content, and sward canopy height at the harvests, were only affected by date sampling.

O período de inverno é o mais crítico do ano no sul do Brasil em termos de provimento de forragem, devido às condições climáticas adversas. Por outro lado, nestes meses do ano é possível usar espécies adaptadas e bem manejadas, obter os rendimentos forrageiros desejados. Entre os fatores manipuláveis que definem a extensão dos vazios forrageiros, a época de semeadura é importante, especialmente se a produção animal estiver sendo realizada em sistema de integração lavourapecuária. Com objetivo de estudar materiais forrageiros como a aveia branca (Avena sativa L.) cv. IPR 126 aveia preta (Avena strigosa Schreb) cv. IAPAR 61, aveia preta comum (Avena sp.), azevém comum (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) e trigo (Triticum aestivum L.) cv. Tarumã e diferentes datas de semeadura (04 de abril, 24 de abril, 14 de maio e 03 de junho de 2008). Conduziu-se na Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Campus Dois Vizinhos, um experimento em blocos ao acaso com quatro repetições. Houve interação entre forrageira e época para quase todas as variáveis avaliadas, indicando que deve ser analisada a correta combinação entre forrageiras e época de semeadura. Apesar da interação significativa, observou-se que, de maneira geral, as aveias IPR 126 e IAPAR 61 apresentaram maior produção de forragem, número de cortes e período de utilização. Em relação às épocas, verificou-se melhor resultado nas variáveis citadas quando as espécies foram semeadas até final de abril, porém com leve declínio do valor nutritivo quando as datas de semeadura foram atrasadas. O trigo Tarumã apresentou comportamento diferenciado das demais, pois houve aumento do valor nutritivo em função das épocas de semeadura. / The winter season is the most critic period of the year at the south of Brazil in terms of forage allowance, due to the climatic conditions. In the other hand, at this period of the year, it is possible to use well adopted species and get high forage yield. Among the manipulated factors that define the length of the forage lack, the sowing period is important, specially when the animal production is done in an integrated croplivestock system. Due to it, the aim of study was to evaluate forage species like white oat, (Avena sativa L.) cv. IPR 126 black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb) cv. IAPAR 61, common black oat (Avena sp.), ryegrass (Lolium miltiflorum Lam) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cv. Tarumã in different sowing periods (April 4 th, April 24 th, May 14th and June 3rd). The experiment was carried out at the Parana Federal Technologic University, campus of Dois Vizinhos in a randomized blocks with four replications. There was a significant interactions between forage specie and the sowed period to almost all of the variable studied, showing that the best arrangement among sowing date and species should be analyzed. Although the interaction, was notice in general that the IPR 126 and IAPAR 61 oats showed a higher production, higher number of cuts and period of use. In relation to the sowing periods, was noticed better results when the forage species were sowed by the and of April, however with o lower decline in the nutritive value with the sowing delay. The Taruma wheat showed a different behave from the other species once its nutritive value increased as the sowing dates passed.

CAPES, PAE / Este trabalho teve como objetivo determinar o efeito da adubação potássica em cobertura (0, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400 e 500 kg de K2O ha-1) sobre a produção e valor nutritivo de forragem de alfafa implantada em sistema plantio direto. O experimento foi conduzido de setembro de 2010 a dezembro de 2011, em Pato Branco – PR. O delineamento experimental foi de blocos completamente casualizados com quatro repetições e sete tratamentos (doses de adubação potássica – K2O). As quantidades totais de adubação potássica foram divididas em três aplicações em cobertura (verão, outono e primavera) tendo como fonte o cloreto de potássio (KCl). As variáveis avaliadas foram: produção de matéria seca total (em um ano de avaliação), produção de matéria seca por estação do ano (primavera, verão, outono e inverno), produção de matéria seca por cortes, intervalo entre cortes, altura do dossel na ocasião do corte, concentração de potássio na parte aérea, valor nutritivo da forragem (FDA, PB e NDT), extração de potássio pela planta e teor de potássio no solo em profundidades. Os resultados foram submetidos à análise de variância, a um nível de 5% de significância, ao teste de Tukey para as variáveis qualitativas, e à análise de regressão polinomial para as quantitativas. O nível de adubação potássica não influenciou nenhuma das variáveis exceto o teor de K no solo, que também foi influenciado pela data de coleta e profundidade de amostragem. Produção de MS, concentração de K na parte aérea, teor de proteína bruta e altura do dossel no momento do corte, apenas sofreram influência da data de coleta. / This trial aimed to evaluate the potassium fertilization effects (0, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 kg K2O ha-1) over forage production and nutritive value of alfalfa in the Southwestern Paraná. The experiment was carried out from September 2010 to December 2011 in Pato Branco – PR. Completely randomized blocks experimental design with four replications and seven treatments (potassium – K - fertilization levels) were used. The total amount of K was splitted out on three applications on cover (summer, fall and spring). Potassium chlorate (KCl – 60%) was used. The evaluated variable were: total dry matter production (one year round), dry matter production per harvest, harvests frequencies, sward canopy high in the harvests events, aboveground K concentration, forage nutritive value (NDA, CP, TDN), K plant uptake, and K concentration at different soil depths. The data were analyzed by variance analysis (5% significance). Tukey test was used for qualitative variables and polynomial regression analysis for quantitative variables. None variable was affected by potassium fertilization levels, except K concentration in the soil, this one was also affected by date and depth sampling. Dry matter production, aboveground K concentration, crude protein content, and sward canopy height at the harvests, were only affected by date sampling.

O período de inverno é o mais crítico do ano no sul do Brasil em termos de provimento de forragem, devido às condições climáticas adversas. Por outro lado, nestes meses do ano é possível usar espécies adaptadas e bem manejadas, obter os rendimentos forrageiros desejados. Entre os fatores manipuláveis que definem a extensão dos vazios forrageiros, a época de semeadura é importante, especialmente se a produção animal estiver sendo realizada em sistema de integração lavourapecuária. Com objetivo de estudar materiais forrageiros como a aveia branca (Avena sativa L.) cv. IPR 126 aveia preta (Avena strigosa Schreb) cv. IAPAR 61, aveia preta comum (Avena sp.), azevém comum (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) e trigo (Triticum aestivum L.) cv. Tarumã e diferentes datas de semeadura (04 de abril, 24 de abril, 14 de maio e 03 de junho de 2008). Conduziu-se na Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Campus Dois Vizinhos, um experimento em blocos ao acaso com quatro repetições. Houve interação entre forrageira e época para quase todas as variáveis avaliadas, indicando que deve ser analisada a correta combinação entre forrageiras e época de semeadura. Apesar da interação significativa, observou-se que, de maneira geral, as aveias IPR 126 e IAPAR 61 apresentaram maior produção de forragem, número de cortes e período de utilização. Em relação às épocas, verificou-se melhor resultado nas variáveis citadas quando as espécies foram semeadas até final de abril, porém com leve declínio do valor nutritivo quando as datas de semeadura foram atrasadas. O trigo Tarumã apresentou comportamento diferenciado das demais, pois houve aumento do valor nutritivo em função das épocas de semeadura. / The winter season is the most critic period of the year at the south of Brazil in terms of forage allowance, due to the climatic conditions. In the other hand, at this period of the year, it is possible to use well adopted species and get high forage yield. Among the manipulated factors that define the length of the forage lack, the sowing period is important, specially when the animal production is done in an integrated croplivestock system. Due to it, the aim of study was to evaluate forage species like white oat, (Avena sativa L.) cv. IPR 126 black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb) cv. IAPAR 61, common black oat (Avena sp.), ryegrass (Lolium miltiflorum Lam) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cv. Tarumã in different sowing periods (April 4 th, April 24 th, May 14th and June 3rd). The experiment was carried out at the Parana Federal Technologic University, campus of Dois Vizinhos in a randomized blocks with four replications. There was a significant interactions between forage specie and the sowed period to almost all of the variable studied, showing that the best arrangement among sowing date and species should be analyzed. Although the interaction, was notice in general that the IPR 126 and IAPAR 61 oats showed a higher production, higher number of cuts and period of use. In relation to the sowing periods, was noticed better results when the forage species were sowed by the and of April, however with o lower decline in the nutritive value with the sowing delay. The Taruma wheat showed a different behave from the other species once its nutritive value increased as the sowing dates passed.

5 pp. / Winter cereals such as barley, oats, triticale, and wheat are commonly grown as forage for the dairy industry. The purpose of this study is to generate information on yield potential of various winter cereal forage varieties. A trial testing the yield potential of eleven winter cereal forage entries including barley, oat, triticale, and wheat varieties was established at the Maricopa Ag Center on October 16, 2015. Forage yields were obtained at cuttings on December 10, February 29, and April 18. The highest yielding entry at the first cutting was Stockford barley. At the second and third cuttings, the highest yielding entry was Summit 515 wheat. Summit 515 wheat was also the highest yielding entry averaged over all cuttings. As a group, the wheat entries were higher yielding that the other winter cereals except at the first cutting where the barleys were higher yielding.

Information on different rangeland plants’ nutritive values in different parts of plant species and habitats are important in Rangelands Management. Effects of different plant parts (stems and leaves) of the Jasminum fruticans L. plant species on forage quality indicators were investigated in two regions in 2015. Plant samples were collected from Sharlogh Rangelands and cultivated in Research and Education Center of Agricultural and Natural Resources (RECANR) in Iran with completely randomized design with three replications in each plant sample. The plant leaves and stems’ samples were oven-dried at 80°C for 24 hours, then analyzed for crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), dry matter (DM) Ether Extract (EE), Crude Ash (CA), Metabolizable Energy (ME), and mineral elements, including Calcium (Ca) and Phosphorus (P). Results showed that the forage quality indicators in different regions were statistically significant, except for the CA. Also, nutritive values differed significantly (P<0.01) between different plant parts, except ME parameter. Results also indicated that J. fruticans due to its high tissue CP content is a valuable source of forage for livestock.

1982 experiments were conducted to examine several aspects of forage quality in relation to animal nutrition, including the differences in quality between forage types (legumes or grasses), species and varieties; between years; between two hay mixes; and between three harvest dates. In addition, the importance of quality relative to yield is examined. In the first experiment, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre, crude protein, and nylon bag dry matter disappearance determinations were used to assess the variation in quality between forage types, species and varieties, and between years. In the second, voluntary dry matter intake and digestibility results were used to assess the variation in quality between hay mixes and harvest dates. The results of the first experiment indicate that the legumes were of higher quality than the grasses; red and alsike clover were of higher quality than alfalfa, and orchardgrass was of higher quality than timothy. With the exception of red clovers, where Lakeland and Pacific varieties were of higher quality than Altaswede, there was little difference in quality between varieties within a species. Neutral detergent fibre analysis results suggest a difference in intake between forages grown in different years while acid detergent fibre analysis results indicate no difference in digestibility would be expected between years. The results of the second experiment indicate there was a difference in quality between forage mixtures (the early maturing mixture was best), and harvests (early and mid bloom harvests were better than the late bloom harvest). The parameter with the largest variability was yield. Differences were greater between years than between types and species (the clovers highest, alfalfa and timothy intermediate, and orchardgrass lowest) with the least variation occurring between varieties within species. The red clover-timothy (late maturing) forage mixture was the highest yielding. Within forage mixtures the full bloom harvest (100% bloom of the legume component) had the highest yields. Since yield was more variable than the quality parameters studied, it was concluded that the most important consideration when selecting a forage mixture was yield. Since there tended to be little difference in quality parameters between varieties within a species, selecting the highest yielding combination would provide the largest amount of useable nutrients per hectare of land base. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

The distribution of Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Mo and Se in earth surface materials on the Southern Canadian Interior Plain was examined with the aim of recommending appropriate methods of producing regional geochemical maps. Investigations were undertaken in three separate areas, one in each of the prairie provinces, selected to represent a range of environmental conditions. In the Swan River - Dauphin area emphasis was placed on investigating the regional distribution of Mo in both soil and stream sediment. These patterns were related to data on the Mo status of plants and to information on Mo-induced Cu deficiency in cattle. In the Rosetown area of Saskatchewan, and the Red Deer area of Alberta, attention v/as focussed on examining variations in the Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn and Se content of soils; in the Rosetown area concentrations of these elements in whole wheat plants were also determined. Procedures for regional geochemical mapping using stream sediment are well established. On the Southern Canadian Interior Plain, however, stream density is generally inadequate for routine application of these techniques. Although tributary drainages are relatively common in parts of southern Manitoba, results of investigations in the Swan River - Dauphin area indicate that Mo concentrations in stream sediment typically reflect Mo levels in upstream soil, but not those of associated plants. In contrast to findings reported by V7ebb and his associates in the United Kingdom, Manitoba stream sediment data are of little value in identifying areas where potentially toxic Mo concentrations are likely to occur in forage. Reconnaissance surveys based on soil sampling, on the other hand, can be applied throughout the Canadian prairies. Results of studies around Rosetown and Red Deer indicate that regional compositional trends for soil may be efficiently described in terms of variations among means estimated for individual soil parent materials. In the Rosetown area, for example, over 70% of the total variance for Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in A horizons is attributable to differences among parent material means. This parent material effect appears, in turn, to be mainly a function of textural variations, with lowest concentrations associated with sand-rich and highest with clay-rich deposits. The importance of differences among means for soil associated with individual surficial deposits is also emphasized, in the Rosetown area, by relatively strong positive relationships (r>0.73) between parent material based Mn, Fe and Cu means for wheat and soil. When data are considered on an individual sample basis relationships between plant and soil concentrations are generally much weaker (r< 0.40). It is suggested, therefore, that on the Southern Canadian Interior Plain, regional geochemical maps can be efficiently produced using parent material based soil compositional data. The procedure recommended involves collection of A horizon samples at randomly chosen sites over each of the major parent materials recognized, and estimation of geometric mean and deviation values for each deposit. Duncan's New Multiple Range test is used to identify significant differences among means, and results are summarized in map form, showing only composition-ally distinctive parent materials or parent material groups. In view of close relationships noted between parent material based means for soils and plants, maps produced in this fashion should be useful in identifying areas where trace element excesses or deficiencies are limiting crop or livestock productivity. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

Faba bean (Vicia faba Roth) is grown worldwide as a protein source for food, used for animal feed, and is a common cover crop in Europe, but is underutilized in Midwest farming systems. Faba bean, field pea (Pisum sativum L.), and forage pea were evaluated for biomass and chemical composition when sown after wheat. Faba bean, forage pea, balansa clover (Trifolium michelanium Savi), red clover (T. pratense L.), and rye (Secale cereale L.) were evaluated similarly when intersown into maize. Cover crops after wheat had no significant biomass differences, averaging 1210 kg ha-1, enough to support 1.5 animal unit month (AUM) ha-1 for a 450 kg cow with calf. Rye yielded the greatest (374 kg ha-1) of the intercrops with faba bean averaging similarly and other intercrops averaging significantly less. Intercrops did not affect maize yield. Faba bean has similar potential as other commonly used cover crops in the Midwest.

Species diversity achieved by adding novel functional groups (warm-season grasses and non-leguminous forbs) to pasture land, along with traditional grasses and legumes, could aid in the capture of nutrients and water in pasture systems by offering complementary rooting architecture to aid in water and nitrogen uptake and decrease nitrogen leaching. Because these species may differ from commonly used grasses and legumes in their seasonal pattern of productivity, they could also extend or enhance growing-season productivity. The goal of this project is to better understand the role of plant diversity in 1) nitrogen use and 2) distribution of rooting dynamics and forage production. On a larger scale, this project hopes to identify pasture mixtures with greater diversity and management practices that maintain desirable pasture composition and livestock productivity. Herbage dry mass (DM), root surface area (RSA), and 15N uptake of nine species grown individually in the greenhouse were measured in the first experiment. Species which performed well or which were of particular interest to our study were used in mixtures in the second experiment, which contained varying numbers of functional groups. Individual species grown in monoculture varied in DM production over the course of the experiment, but there were no differences among mixtures, which all increased similarly in DM. Herbage DM of mixtures was 72 to 110% of that predicted by Experiment 1. The RSA of tap-rooted species was low and varied little with depth, while the RSA of cool-season grasses was higher closer to the soil surface. The RSA of mixtures decreased linearly with increased depth, and was between 150 and 350% higher than predicted from the RSA of individual species. Legumes, which have higher foliar protein content than grasses, accumulated more 15N in shoot DM than grasses, but mixtures did not differ from one another. It is concluded that the DM production advantage of mixtures is more consistent yield. Furthermore, increasing the diversity of simple grass-legume mixtures by adding non-leguminous forbs or other functional groups will likely improve water-use efficiency, thus reducing the risk of nitrate leaching compared with low-diversity grass-legume mixtures while fully exploiting biological nitrogen fixation.