The response of 19 forage grasses to three cutting intervals in the humid mountain region of Puerto Rico was evaluated. Nine Brachiarias, nine Digitarias, and one Cynodon species were evaluated during a 2-year period under cutting management at the Corozal Substation for green forage (GF), dry forage (DF), and crude protein (CP) yields and for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), Ca, P, K, and Mg contents. In terms of green forage yield (GFY), the most productive species at the 30-day harvest interval was D. setivalva (PRPI 6402) with 86,794 kg/ ha/year. At the 45- and 60-day harvest intervals, Brachiaria sp. (PRPI 9626) produced 102,116 and 109,213 kg/ha/year, respectively. This species also produced the highest DFY at the 30-day harvest interval with 18,430 kg/ha/year. C. nlemfuensis, var. nlemfuensis (PRPI 2341), stargrass, and B. decumbens (PRPI 5365) produced the highest DFY at the 45- and 60-day intervals with 21,758 and 27,238 kg/ha/year, respectively. The highest CP content at the 30-, 45-, and 60-day intervals was observed on the three Digitaria hybrids, D. pentzii x D. smutzii (PRPI 9621), D. pentzii x D. milanjiana (PRPI 9619), and D. pentzii x D. pentzii (PRPI 9620) with 14.3, 12.0, and 11.1 %, respectively. D. decumbens (PRPI 6439), 'Transvala' Digitgrass, produced the highest CP yield at the 30-day harvest interval with 2, 179 kg/ha/year. Stargrass had the highest CP yield at the 45- and 60-day harvest intervals with 2,141 and 2,030 kg/ha/year, respectively. The P, Ca, Mg, and K contents of the 19 grasses on the average decreased as the harvest interval increased. A sharp decrease (from 1.81 to 1.47 to 1.42%) of the K content of the grasses was observed at the 30-, 45-, and 60-day intervals, respectively. The GFY, DFY, and DM of the 19 grasses increased on the average with the length of the harvest interval. On the other hand, the CP content and yield of the 19 grasses decreased as the harvest interval increased. No significant correlation was obtained between total rainfall, CP, and DFY of the 19 grasses. Significant positive correlations were obtained between DFY of the 19 grasses and average temperature. A significant negative correlation was obtained between average temperature and CP content.

Ten Brachiarias were evaluated during an 18-month period at various harvest intervals at the Corozal Substation for yields of green forage (GF), dry forage (DF), and crude protein (CP), and for contents of (CP) and dry matter (DM). At the 30-day harvest interval, the most productive introduction was Brachiaria humidicola (P.I. 299497), with 119,567 and 22,548 kg/ha/year of GF and DF, respectively. Para grass (B. mutica) and B. ruziziensis (P.I. 247404) had the highest DM content, 22.5%. Para grass also had the highest CP yield, 2,961 kg/ha/year. At the 45-day harvest interval, B. humidicola (P.I. 299497) had the highest GF yield, 160,459 kg/ha/year, while para grass had the highest DM content, 22.5%. Para grass was the highest DF yielder, with 31,338 kg/ha/year, and B. humidicola (P.I. 299497) was the highest CP yielder, with 3,787 kg/ha/ year. At the 60-day harvest interval, B. humidicola (P.I. 299497) was the highest GF yielder, with 146,318 kg/ha/year, while para grass had the highest DM content and DF and CP yields, 25.9%, 36,946 kg/ha/year, and 3,264 kg/ha/ year, respectively. The GF and DF yields increased with length of the harvest interval. The DM contents, however, were similar at the 30- and 45-day intervals and higher at the 60-day interval. The CP yields increased from 2,651 kg/ha/year at the 30-day harvest interval to 2,912 kg/ha/year at the 60-day harvest interval. The DF and CP yields of B. humidicola (P.I. 299497), para grass, signal grass (B. brizantha, P.R. P.I. 1525), and others were excellent and compared favorably with those of the recognized top-yielding grasses in Puerto Rico.

Two snap bean variety trials were planted at the Gurabo Substation farm in east-central Puerto Rico. In the first trial five pole-bean varieties were tested. The varieties used were: Florigreen, Blue Lake 92, Blue Lake 228, Blue Lake 231, and Kentucky 191. Of these varieties Florigreen had the highest yield with a production of 4.30 tons of green beans per acre. It also showed high resistance to bean rust and mosaic, two of the worst diseases of beans. In the second trial eight lines and two commercial bush varieties were tested. They are B2971-1-1, B3370, B3095-3, B3489, B3365, B3125 x 5-2, B2567-1, B3076, Wade, and Top Crop. In this trial line B2971-1-1 produced the best yield with a production of 4.05 tons of green beans per acre, which is very high for bush beans in Puerto Rico.

Eighteen alfalfa (Medicago sativa) cultivars were evaluated as to dry forage and crude protein yields at the Lajas Research and Development Center; there were 6 cuttings during a 232-day period. Dry forage yields ranged from 4,673 kgfha for Tanverde (lowest) to 11,675 kg/ha for Maracay (highest) cultivar. Good yields were also obtained with Florida 66, Moapa, Peruvian, Certified Mesa Sirsa, and Hayden PX-1 cultivars. Stand persistence declined markedly after the fifth harvest due to Phytophthora root rot infestation. Maracay, Florida 66, and Certified Mesa Sirsa showed the best persistence through the sixth cutting. Mean overall values for neutral-detergent fiber, acid-detergent fiber, lignin, cellulose, silica, crude protein, phosphorus, and potassium contents for the 18 cultivars were 34.86, 29.13, 10.22, 17.08, 1.42, 21.86, 0.36, and 2.08%, respectively. Insects were not a major problem in this study.

A field experiment conducted in 1981 and 1982 at the Corozal Substation to determine the effects of solid cattle manure on the green forage, dry forage, and crude protein yields of stargrass (Cynodon nlemfuensis var. nlemfuensis) and on soil composition, showed that after 720 days the maximum manure application, without supplemental nitrogen fertilization, increased dry forage and crude protein yields significantly over the unfertilized control. Solid manure 65% dry matter and 1.6% nitrogen, .10% phosphorus, and .34% potassium; was applied at six rates (2,800, 5,600, 11,200, 16,800, 22,400 and 31,360 kg/ha/year) Stargrass harvested every 45 days. Manure treatments were supplemented with commercial fertilizer to provide 504, 73, and 336 kg/ha/year of N, P and K, respectively. Two check treatments were included: one received 3,360 kg/ha/year of 15-5-10 fertilizer as a standard fertilization and the other received neither fertilizer nor manure. Surface-applied manure at rates of 2,800, 5,600, 11,200, 16,800 and 22,400 kg/ha/year, supplemented with N, P and K, and the fertilized control gave similar dry forage yields. Stargrass P content tended to increase with manure applications, but K, Ca and Mg contents were similar to the standard fertilization. Soil available P and exchangeable K tended to increase with manure applications.