New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts
Effects of season and frequency of harvest on browse yield and root carbohydrate reserves of willows (Salix spp.) in New Zealand
S. K. Oppong*
P. D. Kemp
Institute of Natural Resources
Massey University
Private Bag 11 222
Palmerston North, New Zealand
G. B. Douglas†
A. G. Foote
AgResearch Grasslands
Private Bag 11 008
Palmerston North, New Zealand
*Present address: Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
†Author for correspondence. Email: grant.douglas@agresearch.co.nz
Abstract Provision of large amounts of browse of willows
(Salix spp.) for livestock in dry summers requires the selection of suitable
times for coppicing the trees. The effects of time and frequency of harvest
on the edible and total dry matter yield and root carbohydrate reserves of Salix
matsudana x alba and S. kinuyanagi were measured. Trees
were harvested initially in winter (WSpSuA), spring (SpSuA), or summer (SuA),
and then at 10-weekly intervals until autumn, except for the winter control
(WA) harvested initially in winter and then again in autumn. The greatest cumulative
edible and total dry matter (DM) yields were for S. kinuyanagi in the
WA treatment. In the WSpSuA and SpSuA treatments, the DM yields of this species
were 2- to 4-fold greater than for the SuA treatment. For S. matsudana
x alba, yields of the WA, WSpSuA, and SpSuA treatments were similar and
exceeded those of the SuA treatment by 4- to 6-fold. Root carbohydrate reserves
in S. matsudana x alba comprised more than 90% sucrose
and were highest in mid spring. Spring harvesting of Salix trees in coppice
blocks will result in reasonable yields of accessible, edible DM for browsing
by livestock in summer.
Keywords coppice; harvesting frequency; harvesting season; regrowth; silvopastoral; Salix matsudana x alba; Salix kinuyanagi; willows
A01004; published 13 June 2002, received 21 February 2001; accepted 14 February 2002
New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2002, Vol. 45: 87–95
0028–8233/02/4502–0087 $7.00/0 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2002
PDF file of entire paper: Print-quality (120K)
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