Effect of Seed Soaking with pyridoxine, height and stages cutting in growth and Yield forage of Sorghumbicolor L. Moench.

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the experimental farm of field crops department , Collage of Agriculture Abu - Ghraib ,Univ. of Baghdad , Iraq during the growing seasons of 2010 and 2011, to evaluate the effects of seed soaking with pyridoxine, cutting height and stages on some agronomic traits, green fodder yield and forage quality of Sorghumbicolor L. Moench cv. Kaffir.Layout of the experiment was Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) using split-split plot arrangement with three replicates. Pyridoxine concentration (0, 2, 4, and 6g/L) were assigned as main plots and cutting height (10, 20 and 30cm) above soil surface as sub-plots , while cutting stages at ( vegetative growth , 50% flowering and dough stage ) as a sub-sub plots . In each season three cuts were taken and in each one , the following traits were studied . Plant height, plant leaf area, green fodder yield, yield and percent of dry matter.The highest level of pyridoxine (6 g/L) resulted in a significant increment in plant height, plant leaf area, green fodder yield, dry matter yield, Plants with cutting height of 10 cm above soil surface gave the highest yield of green fodder and dry matter.