The use of drained peatlands as dairy grasslands leads to long-term organic matter losses, CO2 emissions and soil subsidence. It also yields grass with increased N and P contents compared to grass grown on mineral soils due to peat mineralisation, which often leads to greater farm surpluses of these elements. Growing Typha latifolia as a forage crop on rewetted peatlands (paludiculture) could reduce these issues. Therefore, the effects of harvest date and frequency on yield and nutritional

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... were studied in three experiments during the first growing season after establishment of two different T. latifolia plantations. T. latifolia produced 40–68 shoots m-2 and maximum dry matter (DM) yields of 9.81–10.89 Mg ha-1. Harvesting before flowering resulted in the highest nutritional value per kg DM, of 563–575 g in vitro digestible organic matter (IVDOM), 120–128 g crude protein (CP), 287–300 g crude fibre (CF) and 1.5 g P. Surprisingly, harvesting at intervals of three or six weeks resulted in similar cumulative DM yields (p = 0.190). Also, average nutritional values per kg DM, especially of biomass harvested at 3-week intervals, remained similar to a May yield of 466–591 g IVDOM, 103–134 g CP and 286–303 g CF. Growing T. latifolia fodder for inclusion in grass-based diets could reduce the environmental impacts of dairy farming on peat.