Harvesting cereals at an immature stage
1. Presentation
Characterization of the technique
Description of the technique:
Cereals are said to be immature when harvested at an early stage (from the autumn following sowing, then in spring) with the aim of producing a forage resource: grazing, silage, wrapping or hay, or even grazing. They can be grown alone or mixed with one or more other species of straw cereals.
In the case of mixing with one or more species of grain legumes, these are called cereal-legume associations or mixed cropping (see page "Harvesting cereal-legume associations at an immature stage").
Example of implementation:
In farms in southern Aveyron, the use of immature cereals for forage production is becoming an increasingly structural practice. Several practices aimed at forage use of cereals have been identified: oversowing cereals in a long-term artificial grassland, the use of dual-purpose cereals (green harvesting then grain production), the use of cereals for grazing (without threshing), the establishment of catch crops after harvest, swathing cereals, and finally sowing grasslands under cereal cover.
Although this remains a particularity of this geographical area, it could develop, especially elsewhere in the Massif Central.
Details on the technique:
One of the benefits of the technique, beyond the forage it produces, is the early release of plots on which other annual crops can be quickly established, especially in a year of drought.
For farmers, two strategies exist:
- The cereal was sown for grain harvest, for sale or self-consumption as concentrates, but the lack of forage (spring drought or other climatic hazard) leads the farmer to harvest it early to ensure the forage supply for the herd. Depending on the harvesting practices implemented, a later grain harvest may or may not be possible;
- The cereal was sown with the aim of producing forage. Indeed, these species allow to make the most of growth periods (in spring and autumn) and thus to stock in preparation for a difficult summer period (drought) and/or for winter.
Implementation period During the intercrop
On established crop
Spatial scale of implementation Plot
Farm
This practice applies plot by plot but must be considered at the crop rotation scale, and therefore at the farm scale, depending on forage needs.
Application of the technique to...
All crops: Not applicable
The criteria for choosing species for a cereal crop intended for immature forage harvest are similar to those considered for grain harvest.
All soil types: Sometimes difficult to generalize
The species chosen will vary according to the soil types.
All climatic contexts: Sometimes difficult to generalize
The species chosen will vary according to the climatic context.
Regulation
2. Services provided by the technique
3. Effects on the sustainability of the cropping system
"Environmental" criteria
"Agronomic" criteria
Productivity: Increasing
Harvesting an immature cereal or cereal mixture allows diversification and securing of a forage system: it constitutes a forage resource itself and allows, thanks to the early availability of the plot, the establishment of another fast-growing summer-autumn forage crop, which can be exploited before winter (cabbage, sorghum…).
Water stress: Decreasing
In many regions, farmers are increasingly confronted with drought problems that weaken their forage systems. In this context, the use of immature cereals can prove interesting.
"Economic" criteria
Margin: Variable
Immature cereal forages are produced at lower costs thanks to a simple cropping system, with expenses mainly focused on seed, and thanks to yields generally equivalent to those of maize silage.
The economic interest of immature cereals or mixtures depends on the availability of other forage resources that could have been used. Moreover, a silage harvest is done at the expense of straw and grain harvest and thus at the expense of part of the farm income.
"Social" criteria
4. Favored or disadvantaged organisms
Favored Pests
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Disadvantaged pests
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Favored Beneficial organisms
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Disadvantaged beneficial organisms
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Favored climatic and physiological accidents
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Disadvantaged climatic and physiological accidents
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5. For more information
6. Keywords
Pest control method:
Mode of action:
Type of strategy regarding pesticide use:
Annexes
S'applique aux cultures suivantes
