Abstract
The main aim of this study was to examine how concentrations
of the micronutrients cobalt, copper, iron,
manganese, molybdenum, nickel and zinc change
with phenological development in red clover, perennial
ryegrass and timothy. An additional aim was to
investigate micronutrient concentrations and the dry
matter (DM) proportions of the leaves, stems and
flowers at the flowering stage. The plants were harvested
at five phenological stages, ranging from stem
elongation to flowering, in a greenhouse pot experiment.
The results show that micronutrient concentrations
generally decreased with phenological
development of the grasses, but that the reduction
was larger in timothy than in perennial ryegrass. Concentrations
of cobalt, iron, manganese and nickel were
more constant in red clover than in the other species.
Flowers and leaves had higher concentrations than
stems. The generally low concentrations found in
timothy were largely due to the high DM proportion
of micronutrient-poor stems. Our results suggest that
harvest at an early phenological stage is not only
preferred due to high digestibility but also with regard
to micronutrient concentrations. They also highlight
the importance of considering phenological development
and DM harvested when comparing forage
species with regard to micronutrient concentrations.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 276 - 284 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Grass and Forage Science |
Volume | 69 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Print publication - Jun 2014 |
Bibliographical note
10233241023396
Keywords
- Forage
- Grass
- Harvest
- Legumes
- Plant components
- Stage of maturity
- Trace elements