Effect of Nitrogen Rate and Timing on Forage Dry Matter and Quality of Teff in the Rolling Plains of Texas.

Teff [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] is a warm season annual grass originally from Ethiopia that is gaining attention by forage producers in the Rolling Plains of Texas. As this is relatively new forage species in the region, little information is available on nitrogen (N) management of teff. The objective of this study is to investigate the rates and application timings of N to maximize forage dry matter (DM) and forage quality of teff under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions. Studies were conducted at a producer cooperator’s field in the Miles fine sandy loam during 2016 and 2017. The plots were seeded with ‘Tiffany’ Teff at 9 kg PLS ha^-1 on March 22, 2016 for non-irrigated and irrigated sites and April 6 and April 25, 2017 for non-irrigated and irrigated sites, respectively. Plots were clipped with randomly placed 0.82 m² quadrat to 10 cm stubble height throughout the growing season. Clipped samples were dried at 55 °C drying room, ground by passing through 1 mm screen openings, and used for forage quality analysis by NIRS. Treatments included N rates (0, 56, and 112 kg ha^-1) and application timings (single application at planting and split application of each rate at planting and after the first clip). Treatments were arranged in the completely randomized block design with four replications. Forage DM yields of teff in non-irrigated and irrigated trials were 2040 and 3452, 2002 and 3609, 1863 and 3581, 1778 and 3517, and 1295 and 3563 kg ha^-1 among treatments at 112 single, 112 split, 56 single, 56 split, and control in 2016, respectively (P > 0.05). Preliminary results suggested that forage DM of teff numerically responded to the N application rates and timing in non-irrigated condition in 2016; however, no treatment effect was observed in the forage DM of teff under irrigated trial.