ESTABLISHMENT AND EFFECT OF CUTTING INTERVAL ON YIELD AND NUTRITIVE-VALUE OF RHIZOMA PERENNIAL PEANUT IN NORTHWESTERN PUERTO-RICO

Ten accessions and two commercial varieties of rhizoma perennial peanu t (RPP) (Arachis glabrata Benth.) were evaluated at the Isabela ARS fa rm in 1991-92 to determine percentage of ground cover (PGC), green for age yield (GPI), dry matter yield (DMY), rhizome fresh yield (RFY), an d effects of 6- and 12-wk cutting intervals (CI) on DMY, crude protein concentration (CPC), and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD). A fter 36 weeks of growth, no significant differences (P = 0.05) were de tected in PGC, GFY, DMY, and RFY among the eight, five, seven, and fiv e most productive RPP, respectively. The DMY/harvest of 17095 and 1709 7 (2,712 and 2,859 kg/ha) was superior (P = 0.05) at the 6-wk CI; and that of 'Florigraze', 17095 and 17097 (4,052; 4,148 and 4,747 kg/ha) a t the 12-wk CI, respectively. There were no differences in CPC among t he six and nine RPP with higher values at the two CI and in IVDMD amon g the seven RPP with higher values at the 6-wk CI, while 17039 and 170 44 were superior (P = 0.05) at the 12-wk CI. Accession 17097 showed th e greatest overall potential with an extrapolated annual DMY of about 25 and 21 t/ha, CPC of 192 and 155 g/kg, and IVDMD of 587 and 544 g/kg at the two CI, respectively.