Fenología de las gramíneas en tres épocas de aprovechamiento forrajero de los prados en la vertiente sur de la Cordillera Cantábrica (León)

Resum

Phenological stages of 11 grasses of 14 meadows located in the Area of Riaño (Mountain ofLeón, Cantabrian Range, Spain) were studied at three different harvesting dates, each of them related toa possible management of forage resources: “cutting to feed indoors”, “early silage conservation” and“late silage conservation”. The phenological stage of a given species was determined through thedescription of 5-25 stems in each. Mean values of growth stages at each cutting time were: 28.1 (end ofstem elongation), 31.8 (inflorescence emergence) and 34.4 (elongation of the peduncle of theinflorescence). The three harvesting dates can be identified by the predominant growth stage reachedby three species: Anthoxanthum odoratum, Poa pratensis and Lolium perenne: “cutting to feed indoors”would be done when A. odoratum and P. pratensis reach the growth stages of anthesis and pre-anthesis,respectively; “early silage conservation” when P. pratensis and L. perenne reach the stages of pre-anthesisand spikelets fully emerged, respectively, and “late silage conservation” when A. odoratum and P.pratensis reach the stages of postantesis and anthesis, respectively.