Abstract
It is important to maintain proper botanical composition and produce forages with more than 65% in total digestible nutrients (TDN contents) in timothy (TY)-white clover (WC) mixtures in Konsen district, Hokkaido. This research was carried out to investigate the effects of stages, interval and frequency of cutting on botanical composition, dry matter yield and TDN contents. TDN contents were higher in the early harvest (EH) treatments (66-69%, cuts at the booting or the first heading time of TY) than in the control group (63%, twice cuts at each heading time of TY). Early harvest for three years resulted in dominance of WC and decrease in dry matter yield and density of TY tillers in EH treatments. However, those problems were solved by limiting early harvest to only one year and by ensuring the longer regrowing period after the 1st cutting. From the above results, the 1st cutting at booting-initial heading time of TY and the 2nd cutting 55-60 days after that proved to be a proper cutting management of TY-WC mixtures in Konsen district. It was advisable that the 3rd cutting should be avoided. And it was also important that the early harvest of TY-WC mixtures should be restricted to only one year to maintain good botanical composition.
