Dual-purpose wheat farming is a system that enables the production of high-quality forage for livestock during winter and early spring without reducing the land allocated to grain production. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of nitrogen (N) rate and cutting regimes on grain yield, biomass accumulation and the nutritive value of dual-purpose wheat. Field trials were conducted over two crop seasons (2021–2022 and 2023–2024) using a split-plot arrangement within a randomized complete block design with three replications. Nitrogen rates (0, 60, 120, and 180 kg ha⁻¹) were assigned to main plots and cutting regimes to sub-plots. Single cutting was performed at the Zadoks 30 stage, while double cutting included a first cut at Zadoks 25 followed by a second cut 30 days later. Biomass accumulation increased with increasing N rates, and forage protein concentration reached its highest value at the highest N rate. Other forage nutritive value traits, including neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, digestible dry matter intake, and relative feed value, showed limited variation among N rates. Biomass accumulation differed between cutting regimes depending on the season, with higher values under single cutting in the first season (18.70 Mg ha− 1) and under double cutting in the second season (18.51 Mg ha− 1). Grain yield did not differ between the 120 kg ha− 1 N rate (4.29 and 4.30 Mg ha− 1 in the first and second seasons, respectively) and the 180 kg ha− 1 N rate (4.98 and 4.81 Mg ha− 1). Forage production was higher at the 180 kg ha− 1 N rate (2.77 and 2.55 Mg ha− 1 in the first and second seasons, respectively). Cutting regimes reduced grain yield in both seasons, with greater reductions in the second season. Regression analysis indicated strong relationships among agronomic, structural, and nutritional traits in dual-purpose wheat.
Atis et al. (2026) studied this question.