Morphological characters, dry matter production, and feed quality of three maize (Zea mays L.) varieties as influenced by milk and dough harvest stages
Abstract
G. Mengistu*, M. Faji, G. Kitaw, G. Kebede, K. Mohammed, G. Terefe and M. Dejene
Varietal differences and stages of crop harvest have great contributions to biomass quantity and quality of maize stovers, however, little/no studies have been done in these regards. We evaluated three maize varieties: Jibat, Kuleni, and Kolba for their morphological characteristics, dry matter production, and feed quality harvested at milk and dough stages for two years in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Variety had no significant (P>0.05) effect on the measured morphological traits except for cob length (CL). Plant height (PH) and dry matter yield (DMY) were significantly (P<0.001) influenced by year at both harvest stages. The DMY achieved at the milk and dough stages significantly increased by 22.6 and 36.3% in 2020 compared to 2019. At both stages, Kolba and Jibat recorded significantly higher number of cobs per plant, and these varieties also achieved longer leaf lengths at the milk stage than kuleni. We found insignificant (P>0.05) differences among varieties for DMY at milk and dough stages. The fiber contents (NDF, ADF, and ADL) were influenced by varieties only at the milk stage. Thus, Jibat and Kuleni could be appropriate for feed with better quality when harvested at the milk stage. After removing the green cobs for human consumption, the three varieties are also used as animal feed at the dough stage.