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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2019, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (1): 37-49.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2018069

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Optimal cultivation conditions for forage triticale line C31, based on a response surface experiment

LIU Jing1,2**, QU Guang-peng3**, TIAN Xin-hui1, DU Wen-hua1,*   

  1. 1.College of Pratacultural Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem, Ministry of Education, Pratacultural Engineering Laboratory of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730070, China;
    2.College of Ecological Environment and Resource, Qinghai University for Nationalities, Xining 810000, China;
    3.Institute of Pratacultural Tibet Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Lhasa 850009, China
  • Received:2018-01-30 Online:2019-01-20 Published:2019-01-20
  • Contact: * E-mail: duwh@gsau.edu.cn
  • About author:These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: In order to identify the optimal cultivation conditions for forage triticale (Triticale wittmack) line C31, the effects of plant density, nitrogen fertilizer rate, and rainfall on hay yield and nutritional quality of triticale line C31 grown for forage, were studied. A regression prediction model for hay yield and nutritional quality of triticale line C31 was established based on the response surface method, which included 3 factors (plant density, nitrogen fertilizer rate, rainfall) and 5 levels. Key results were: 1) The 3 factors (plant density, nitrogen fertilizing rate, rainfall) all significantly affected the hay yield and nutritional quality of forage triticale (P<0.05). The interaction between rainfall and nitrogen fertilizer rate was significant for hay yield (P<0.05), while the interaction between rainfall and triticale plant density was significant for triticale nutritional quality (P<0.05). 2) In the multiple quadratic regression analysis, all 3 factors were shown to have highly significant effects on hay yield and nutritional quality of triticale (P<0.01), the results show that the regression model of hay yield and nutrient quality can represent the actual hay yield and nutrient quality of forage triticale. 3) Forage triticale line C31 was found to be suitable for growing in Hezuo, where the rainfall varied from 318 mm to 325 mm during the growth period of triticale. 4) Triticale line C31 was predicted to have the highest hay yield and nutritional quality when the rainfall was 322.07 mm during the growth period of triticale. At this predicted optimum rainfall, the nitrogen fertilizer rate indicated by the model was 289.17 kg N·ha-1, and modelled optimal plant density of triticale was 5.79 million seedlings·ha-1. Under these conditions the model predicted hay yield and nutritional quality of 16732.50 kg·ha-1 and 0.71, respectively. This study demonstrates a simple and effective method for evaluating the hay yield and nutritional quality of triticale germplasm under different growing conditions and suitable planting locations.

Key words: triticale, rainfall, nitrogen fertilizing rate, plant density, hay yield, nutritional quality