الفهرس 
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Abstract
Evaluation o(some pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides, L.) varieties under some cultural practices
Research experiments were conducted at Shandaweel Agricultural
Research Station; Forage Research Section; Agricultural Research Center.
Two experiments were conducted in two growing seasons of 1994 and
1995. Experiments were designed and implemented to evaluate yield;
growth component, and quality of three fodder millet grasses
(Hybrid, Nigerian and B.M.M. tall) fertilized with four nitrogen
levels (control, 40; 80 and 120 KglN/fed) and irrigated at three
irrigation intervals (7, 14 and 21-day).
Experiments were layed out and statisticaly analyzed as split
split designe where irrigation treatments were randomly distributed
in the main plot and nitrogen levels in the split plots and fodder
grasses in the sub sub plots. Three individual cuts were obtained in
each of the two growing seasons. Meanwhile; combined analysis of
the two seasons were analysed for the studied parameters in each
cut. Results could be summarized as follows:
Prolonging the time elapsed between the irrigations caused a
significant continous decrease in fresh fodder yield of millet for
each of the three cuts as well as the total yield. Increasing nitrogen application levels caused a continous
significant increase in fresh fodder yield of millet grasses. The
highest significant increase was obtained when comparing any
of the applied nitrogen level (40, 80 and 120 Kg/fed) with the
control (no nitrogen application). However, 80 Kg nitrogen/fed
looks to be the most economical nitrogen application level
since the highest level (120 Kg N/fed) did not cause an
appreciable extra increase in fresh fodder yield.
The minimum fresh fodder yield production was obtained from
growing B.M.M. tall millet as compared with Hybrid and
Nigerian millet grasses. This was true for each of the
individual three cuts and the total yield as well with significant
differences. Higher fresh fodder yield was obtained from
Hybrid and Nigerian millet grasses than for B.M.M. tall.
However the difference in fresh fodder yield for the later two
fodder millet grasses were flactuated within cuts with little
significant difference. These later two millet types proved to
be more or less similar in fresh fodder yield, and higher in
productivity as compared with B.M.M. tall fodder millet.
The interaction effect of the applied three factors on fresh
fodder yield was significant. The highest fresh yield was
obtained when irrigation was at 7-day duration interval using
80 Kg N/fed for Hybrid millet. whereas, the lowest fresh fodder yield was obtained when growing B.M.M. tall millet
where it was irrigated at 21-day duration interval without
nitrogen fertilization .
Extending the time elapsed between irrigation intervals from 7
to 14 and up to 21-day caused a significant continous reduction
in dry yield with significant differences. However, it was
obviously clear that the magnitude of such reduction was
relatively higher when irrigation interval increased from 7 to
14-day rather than from 14 to 21-day.
Narrowing the irrigation intervals of fodder millet grasses
caused a significant increase in dry fodder yield for the
individual cuts and the total yield as well.
Any of the applied nitrogen levels of 40, 80 and 120 Kg/fed
caused a significant increase in dry fodder yield as compared
with the control (of no nitrogen fertilizer application).
In general, application of eather 80 or 120 Kg N/fed produced
the highest dry fodder yield. In addition, differences in dry
fodder yield among the intermediate nitrogen levels were
relatively of low magnitudes.
Nigerian millet was the highest in dry yield as compared with
the other two grasses for the first cut and the total dry yield.
whereas, Hybrid millet was the highest in dry yield for the
second and third cuts.
The total dry yield of the grown three millet grasses could be
ranked in the following descending order: Nigerian millet (8.82
ton/fed) > Hybrid millet (8.40 ton/fed) > B.M.M. tall millet
(8.27 ton/fed). Differences in total dry yield of the three millet
grasses were significant with slight magnitudes.The highest dry fodder mille yield was obtained at the shortest
irrigation interval (7-day) when growing Nigerian millet using
40 Kg nitrogen fertilization per feddan. This result was true for
the three individual cuts and for the total dry yield as well.
The lowest dry yield of fodder millet was obtained when
growing B.M.M. tall millet where no nitrogen fertilization was
applied and irrigation was applied at the longest duration
period of 21-day where the interaction was significant. This
result was obtained for all of the individual cuts and the total
dry yield except for the second cut where Nigerian millet
replace the B.M.M. tall in producing the lowest dry yield.
Highest dry yield was obtained when irrigation was at 7-day
duration interval using 80 Kg N/fed for Nigerian millet fodder.
As the time elapsed between irrigations increased from 7 to 14
and up to 21-day, height of plants decreased significantly. This
result was true for each of the three obtained cuts with different
magnitudes.
As the irrigation duration intervals increased from 7 to IS-day
the decrease in plant heights was somewhat lower as compared
with the increase in irrigation interval from 14 to 21-day
especially in the first two cuts.
Increasing nitrogen application levels from 0, to 40, 80 and 120
Kg/fed caused a continous significant increase in plant heights
of the grown fodder millet grasses. This was true for each of
the three cuts combined over the two growing seasons.
The highest increase in plant height of fodder millet was
obtained when nitrogen application levels increased from the
control and 40 Kg/fed as well as from 40 to 80 Kg per feddan.
On the average Nigerian millet was the tallest one followed by
B.M.M. tall millet with ignorable difference in height.
whereas, Hybrid millet was of the shortest plants.
Fodder millet plants of B.M.M. tall was of 208.05 em height
which was fertilized with 120 Kg N/fed and irrigated at 7-day
interval.
Narrowing irrigation intervals caused a continous significant
increase in stem diameter of the grown millet grasses. This was
for each of the obtained cuts. In addition, such effect of
irrigation intervals was more effective for the first cut as
compared with second one.
Increasing nitrogen application levels up to 80 kg/fed caused a
continous significant increase in stem diameter of the grown
millet plants for each of the three subsequent cuts.
Stem diameters of the grown fodder grasses were of significant
differences, however, such differences were of no specific trend
among cuts.Hybrid millet plants were of the thickest stem in the first cut,
while Nigerian millet was of the thickest stems for the second
and third cuts with significant differences as compared with the
other two millet grasses. No specific trend was noticed in stem
diameters. of the other grown millet grasses for each of the
obtained three cuts inspite of the slight significant difference in
such trait.
Hybrid fodder millet was of the highest stem diameter (1.29
em) which was fertilized with 40 Kg N/fed and irrigated at 7-
day interval with significant interaction effect.
Number of tillers per millet plant decreased continously and i!f(
significantly as irrigation intervals increased from 7 to 14 and
up to 21-day. This result was true for the three individual cuts.
The application of 40 Kg nitrogen per feddan significantly
increased the number of tillers per millet plant as compared
with the control. Extra slight significant increase in number of
tillers per millet plant was obtained at the subsequent higher
nitrogen level (80 Kg/fed).
Hybrid millet was of the highest number of tillers per plant,
followed by B.M.M. tall, then Nigerian millet with some
flactuations within cuts.
Significant interaction effect between the applied factors was
obtained on the number of tillers per plant of the grown fodder
millet grasses for each of the three cuts and over the two
growing seasons. The heighest tillering behaviour was
detected for Hybrid fodder millet, fertilized with 80 Kg N/fed
and irrigated at 7-day interval.
The highest number of leaves per fodder millet plant was
noticed at the shortest irrigation interval of 7-day as compared
with the longer interval of 14-day with significant differences
in all cuts combined over the two seasons. The obtained increase in number of leaves per millet plant by
shortening the irrigation intervals was not that high in
magnitude in almost all cuts.
Any of the applied nitrogen level caused a significant increase in
number of leaves per fodder millet plants as compared with the
control. This was true for each of the three consequative cuts.
The highest increase in number of leaves per millet plants was
obtained by applying 40 Kg nitrogen per feddan as compared
with the control. However, the subsequent increase in nitrogen
application levels from 40 to 80 Kg per feddan caused a slight
continous increase in this studied parameter with significant
differences in the second and third cuts Fodder millet B.M.M. tall was almost as leafy as the Hybrid
fodder millet for the first and the third cut and slightly less for
the second cut.
Hybrid fodder millet was the highest in number of leaves per
plant followed by B.M.M. tall, then the Nigerian fodder millet.
The most leafy fodder plants were produced from Hybrid millet
grass fertilized with 40 Kg N/fed and irrigated at 7-day interval
with significant interaction effect.
The highest leaf area was obtained when irrigation was at 7-day
interval, whereas the smallest leaf area was obtained when
irrigation was at 2I-day interval.
-The applied nitrogen fertilization levels caused a continous
significant increase in the top 5th leaf area of the grown millet
plants up to 80 Kg/feddan.
The highest effect of nitrogen on the top 5th leaf area per plant
was obviously clear when comparing between the application
of 40 Kg per feddan and the control.
The descending order in the area of the top 5th leaf of plants
was as follows: B.M.M. tall> Hybrid> Nigerian millet grass
for the first cut, being B.M.M. tall> Hybrid = Nigerian millet
for the second cut, and Nigerian> B.M.M. tall> Hybrid millet
grasses for the third cut.
The highest top 5th leaf area behaviour was obtained for
B.M.M. tall fodder millet fertilized with 80 Kg N/fed and
irrigated at 7-day interval and the interaction effect was
significant. It is generally noticed that the difference in the analysed
chemical constituents were slightly small. This could be due to
the narrow range of the effect of the applied irrigation treatments. However, the trend was obviously clear as
presented previously.
As the growth and the regrowth proceeded for the subsequent
successive cuts: crude protein (CP) content decreased, crude fiber
(CF) content increased, ash content decreased, ether extract (EE)
decreased, nitrogen free extract (NFE) increased and total digestible
nutrients (TDN) decreased.
Such trend was noticed for each of the subsequent three cuts
with different magnitudes where CF and NFE content increased
whereas CP, Ash, EE and TDN contents decreased from the
earlier to the later cuts averaged over the applied nitrogen
levels. Increasing irrigation intervals from 7 to 14 and up to 21-day caused
a continous decrease in water consumptive use (WeD) of the grown
fodder grasses from 3199 to 2313 and down to 1894 m3/fed,
respectively for the first season, being 3238, 2403 and 1986m3/fed
for the second one.
A slight continous increase in water consumptive use of the grown
fodder millet grasss was obtained as nitrogen levels increased from
0, 40, 80 and up to 120 kg/fed. The corresponding water
consumptive use were 2384, 2437, 2517 and 2538 m3/fed for the
first season, being 2462, 2516, 2589 and 2603 m3/fed for the second
one. Water consumptive use of the grown fodder millet grasses was not
appreciabley affected under the circumstances of this study.
However, Hybrid millet and Nigerian millet were almost similar in
their water consumptive use which was 2478 vrs 2471 m3/fed in the
fITStseason and 2550 vrs, 2556 m3/fed in the second one. Water use efficiency (WUE) for the dry fodder millet yiled
production increased as the applied irrigation intervals decreased.
Values ofWUE were 2.87, 3.49, and 3.84 kg dry fodder yield/m’ at
the irrigation intervals of 7-day, 14-day and 21-day, respectively for
the first season, corresponding to 3.01,3.59 and 4.01 kg dry fodder
yield/nr’ water for the second season.
Any of the applied nitrogen levels caused an increase in WUE as
compared with the control. However, no appreciable difference was
obtained in WUE when applying 40 or 80 kg nitrogen per feddan.
Meanwhile, the highest nitrogen application level (120 kg/fed)
caused a slight ignorable reduction in WUE, Nigerian fodder millet was relatively but slightly higher in WUE as
compared with Hybrid and B.M.M. tall millets where there was no
appreciable difference in WUE between the later two fodder millets.