Forage Yield and Forage Nutritive Value of Peanut to Various Row Spacings.

Peanut forage can be valuable to the rapidly growing dairy industry in the Southern High Plains. Sun-cured and threshed peanut hay, however, is often low in nutritive value. Replicated research conducted by New Mexico State University's Agricultural Science Center at Clovis at one site in 2004 and another in 2006 evaluated the effect of forage harvest timing [17, 19, 20, and 21 weeks after planting (wap), the last of which coincided with pod harvest maturity and was sun-cured in the field prior to threshing] on pod yield and forage yield and nutritive value. Producers can harvest higher quality hay by cutting and baling during the pod maturation phase (about 19 wap) without significantly (P < 0.05) reducing pod yields (2799, 3311, 3720, and 4078 kg pods/ha when forage was harvested 17, 19, 20, and 21 wap, respectively, 5% LSD = 897); however, forage organic matter yields declined (P < 0.10) in the 20^th week, indicating the optimum harvest time to be 19 wap (4359, 4649, 3494, and 3858 kg OM/ha for forage harvested 17, 19, 20, and 21 wap, respectively, 5% LSD = 962). Crude protein concentration remained above 10% when forage was harvested before pod digging. Differences also existed (P < 0.05) for fiber and fiber-based digestibility and energy components as well as calcium, potassium, magnesium, and ash; but, not phosphorus. Consequently, the high value of the peanut crop for food can be increased by the added value of the forage crop.