Implantación y vigor inicial en Paspalum notatum Flüggé cultivar INIA Sepé en función de la fecha de siembra sobre suelos de basalto de la región noroeste

The natural adaptation of a native species to the environment makes it an outstanding character in species with high forage value such as Paspalum notatum Flüggé, an appreciable component of our natural grasslands. Knowing the characteristics of their requirements in the implantation process, their behavior in the face of variations in management variables, such as the sowing date, are fundamental steps in experimentation in the domestication process of these resources.

This work was carried out at the “El Junco” farm located 18 kilometers from the local road of Route 31, km 53, in the Colonia Antonio Rubio of the Department of Salto. The experiment period spanned from January to August 2017. The objective was to evaluate the establishment and initial vigour of Paspalum notatum Flüggé clone TB42 (cultivar INIA Sepé), as well as to determine characteristics in the partition of photoassimilates between the aerial and underground part against the variation of the sowing date. Of the cultivar planted in sowing date was evaluated, by sowing in three dates: January 17, March 8 and April 4, 2017. Non-destructive sampling was carried out at 30, 60, 90 and 120 days after sowing; monitoring number of plants per meter, number of tillers per plant, number of leaves on the main tiller and length of the main. In turn, on the last two sampling dates (90 and 120 days post-sowing), weight of the aerial part and weight of roots, were monitored.

The sowing date modifies the morphological characteristics duetovariation in environmental conditions such as soil temperature and soil water content change. The sowing date that had the best performance in the experiment was January, when the species is still in its growing season. If sowing is done in autumn, it is recommended that it be done early, trying to avoid low temperatures. The partitioning of photoassimilates did not differ significantly among the sowing dates, a result that was probably due to the low sample size monitored at those times.