RESPONSE OF ACACIA FORAGE YIELD AND ITS QUALITY TO WATER STRESS AND CUTTING HEIGHT
A. A. KANDIL AND A. E. SHARIEF*
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture,
Mansoura University, Egypt
*(e-mail : shariefali42@gmail.com)
(Received : 18 September 2018; Accepted : 15 December 2018)
SUMMARY
Shrubs of acacia dispersed over clay or sandy regions of arid and semi-arid lands due to its tolerance to salinity. In order to re-vegetate acacia plants in the desert sand saline soils and its forage dry matter production. Two experiments accompanied during 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons. The purposes of this investigation aimed to (1) investigate water deficit effects, i.e. irrigation at Evaporation rates 1.00, 0.67 and 0.33 ET, (2) study the effect of three stubble-heights, i.e. 20, 40 and 60 cm (3) schoolwork the interaction effects on forage dry matter yield, its quality, water use efficiency and desert re-vegetation. The tallest plant, thick stems, highest weight of green forage yield/ha, highest weight of dry forage yield/ha and the highest values of water use efficiency obtained from the first cut. While, uppermost ether extract as well as ash percentage and ash yield/ha created from the second cut. The tallest plant, thick stem, the highest green and dry matter forages yield/plant, forage, green and dry yield/ha, protein%, nitrogen free extract%, Yield/ha of protein, fiber, ether extract, ash and nitrogen free extract created for irrigation at 1.00 ET. Irrigation at 0.67 ET produced the highest water use efficiency. Irritation at 0.33 ET created the highest ether extracts, crude fiber and ash percentage. Cutting at 40 cm height produced the tallest plant, thick stems, the highest weight of green and dry
foraged yield/plant, green and dry matter forage yields/ha, the highest values of water use efficiency, the highest percentages of protein and ash, yield/ha of protein, fiber and ether extract. For the moment, cutting at 60 cm height recorded the highest percentage of crude fiber and ether extract. In general, cutting at 40 cm with irrigation at 100% ET gets the great forage dry matter yield/ha, its quality and water use efficiency.
Key words: Acacia saligna, Forage dry matter, Forage quality, Water use efficiency