Effect of green manure from Tithonia (T. diversifolia) on the establishment and production of forage of P. purpureum cv. Cuba CT-169 and on some soil properties

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Gustavo Crespo
Tom?s E. Ruiz
Julio ?lvarez

Abstract

In an experimental design of random blocks with four replicates, it was studied the effect of applying three doses of green manure of tithonia
(0, 12, and 24 t/ha) on the establishment and production of biomass from P. purpureum cv. Cuba CT-169 forage and on some indicators of
red ferrallitic soil. In the first establishment cut, there was no effect of the treatments on the height of the plants. However, the number of
tufts/m2 (2.4 ? 2.5), the number of tillers/plant (10.4 ? 10.6), and the DM yield /ha (16.2 ? 18.6 t) were increased significantly in the treatments with green manure, without significant differences between the doses applied. In the second cut (residual effect), conducted three
months after the first (February 2009), there were no differences either between treatments for the height of the plants, but the indicators
tufts/m2, tillers/plant, and DM yield were increased significantly up to the highest dose of green manure application. The green manure
doses reduced significantly (P < 0.01) the apparent soil density (1.01, 0.79, and 0.68 g/cm3 with doses of 0, 12, and 24 t/ha) and increased
the contents of OM (4.2%) and N-total (0.30%). The use of T. diversifolia is recommended as green manure to enhance the soil fertility and increase the production of Cuba CT-169 forage on red ferrallitic soil.
Key words: T. diversifolia, green manure, forage production, soil.

Article Details

How to Cite
Crespo, G., Ruiz, T. E., & ?lvarez, J. (2011). Effect of green manure from Tithonia (T. diversifolia) on the establishment and production of forage of P. purpureum cv. Cuba CT-169 and on some soil properties. Cuban Journal of Agricultural Science, 45(1). Retrieved from https://cjascience.com/index.php/CJAS/article/view/191
Section
Pasture Science and other Crops
Author Biographies

Gustavo Crespo

Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Apartado Postal 24, San Jos? de las Lajas, La Habana, Cuba

Tom?s E. Ruiz

Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Apartado Postal 24, San Jos? de las Lajas, La Habana, Cuba

Julio ?lvarez

Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Apartado Postal 24, San Jos? de las Lajas, La Habana, Cuba

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