Evaluation of Forage Yield and Feed Value of Winter Crops Following Rice Harvest at Paddy Field in the Southern Region of Korea

This study was carried out to evaluate the forage yield and feed value of winter crops such as Italian ryegrass (IRG), oat, rye, barley, and hairy vetch. Forage crops were sown on 15 th October 2018 in a paddy field after harvesting rice and forage crops were harvested at two times of 25 th April 2019 and 18 th May 2 01 9. T he h ighest d ry m atter (DM) y ield w as h arvested f rom r ye among t he five species of forage crop on 18 th May. DM yield of all forages was increased 14.4% on 18 th May compared to 25 th April. The highest yield of crude protein (CP) was obtained from hairy vetch on 25 th April, whereas it was decreased (38.1%) on 18 th May. Moreover, the highest total digestible nutrient (TDN) yield and relative feed value (RFV) was harvested respectively from rye and hairy vetch on 25 th April. Delay of harvest time considerably increased DM yield but significantly decreased CP and RFV. In conclusion, rye was the best source of DM and TDN and hairy vetch was the high-quality feed. Rye harvested on 25 th April is the proper forage for resolving Korea’s problem of insufficient forage yield.