P. H. MAGAR, S. V. DAMAME* AND S. H. PATHAN
Department of Agronomy,
Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri-413 722, District Ahmednagar (Maharashtra), India
*(e-mail : shivajidamame@gmail.com)
(Received : 13 October 2021; Accepted : 17 December 2021)
SUMMARY
The present experiment was conducted at Post Graduate Institute Instructional Farm, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Dist. Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) during summer season of 2020 to evaluate the effect of cutting management and nitrogen levels on quality of forage maize and silage. The experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design with three replications and fifteen treatment combinations, consisted of three cutting managements i.e. cutting at 60 (before flowering), 75 (50 % flowering) and 90 (after fertilization) days after sowing and five nitrogen levels i.e. absolute control, 75 % RDN, 100 % RDN, 125 % RDN and 150 % RDN. The silage prepared from
maize forage cut at 60 DAS recorded significantly higher per cent crude protein (9.47 %), in vitro dry matter digestibility (68.56 %) and the lowest crude fibre (27.34 %). The silage prepared from application of 150 % RDN recorded significantly higher crude protein (9.44 %), in vitro dry matter digestibility (68.57 %) with the lowest crude fibre (29.07%). As the harvesting interval and application of nitrogen levels increases, there was increase in pH of silage. Cutting of forage maize at 90 DAS recorded significantly higher green forage, dry matter, crude protein, crude fibre yield, whereas higher per cent crude fibre with lower per cent crude protein and IVDMD. The application of 150 % RDN recorded significantly higher green forage, dry matter, crude protein, crude fibre yield, whereas higher per cent crude protein and IVDMD with lower per cent of crude fibre in forage maize.
Key words:Maize, crude protein, crude fibre, in vitro dry matter digestibility, nitrogen levels, cutting management