Grain and Straw Yield of Paddy Cultivars and Feed Quality Traits of Paddy Straw

Among the cereal grains, paddy has the first place in production quantity and the second place after wheat in cultivated lands. Quite a small portion of paddy straw is used in animal feeding and the rest is burnt on fields, thus generating serious damages to the environment and soil. The present study investigated grain yield, straw yield, and straw quality of 12 paddy cultivars originating from different parts of the world. Experiments were conducted over the paddy fields of a farmer in Bafra town of Samsun province located in Kızılırmak Delta of Turkey in 2018 and 2019 growing seasons in randomized blocks design with four replications. There were significant differences in investigated parameters of the cultivars. Grain yield varied between 56.29–100.03 t ha⁻¹, straw yield 92.19–135.43 t ha⁻¹, crude protein 5.21–7.94%, ADF (acid detergent fiber) 65.00–69.92%, NDF (neutral detergent fiber) 37.92–41.24% and relative feed value 77.86–82.64. Biplot analysis revealed that Halilbey cultivar was prominent for investigated parameters. In terms of relative feed value, paddy straw was classified as “3rd quality”. Such use of paddy straw could prevent damages to the environment, provide economic contributions to growers and generate a sustainable paddy-farming system.