Seed Production Characteristics of Three Fine Fescue Species in Residue Management Systems

2011 ◽  
Vol 103 (5) ◽  
pp. 1495-1502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Chastain ◽  
Carol J. Garbacik ◽  
Thomas B. Silberstein ◽  
William C. Young
2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 687-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. D. Gossen ◽  
J. J. Soroka ◽  
H. G. Najda

Little information is available on the management of turfgrass species for seed production in the Canadian prairies. The objective of these studies was to assess the impact of residue management and row spacing on seed yield under irrigation. A factorial experiment was seeded at Saskatoon, SK, in 1993 to assess the impact of burning or scalping (very close mowing with residue removal) vs. mowing, and 20- vs. 40-cm row spacing on seed yield of Kentucky bluegrass (KBG) (Poa pratensis), creeping red fescue (CRF) (Festuca rubra subsp. rubra) and creeping bentgrass (CBG) (Agrostis palustris). Also, a residue management trial on KBG was seeded at Brooks, AB, in 1993. At Saskatoon, yield was higher at 20-cm spacing across all three species in 1994, but spacing had no impact on winter survival, stand density, tiller growth or yield in subsequent years. Burning and scalping consistently resulted in earlier spring green-up, a higher proportion of fertile tillers, and higher seed yield than mowing. Even with residue management, yield declined after one harvest in CBG and CRF, and after two harvests in KBG. At Brooks, residue management had a similar impact on yield of KBG. A second trial at Brooks examined the impact of row spacing (20, 40, 60 cm) and seeding rate (0.5 to 6 kg seed ha-1) on KBG. Seed yield was highest at 40-cm spacings in 1994, at 60 cm in 1995, and at 40 to 60 cm in 1996. Seeding rate did not have a consistent effect on yield. We conclude that a combination of residue management and 20- to 40-cm spacings provide the highest, most consistent seed yields for these turfgrass species in this region. Key words: Burning, clipping, turfgrass, seed production, row spacing, Poa, Festuca, Agrostis


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 2921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iara Maria Lopes ◽  
Shirlei Almeida Assunção ◽  
Ana Paula Pessim de Oliveira ◽  
Lúcia Helena Cunha dos Anjos ◽  
Marcos Gervasio Pereira ◽  
...  

The gradual change in management practices in sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) production from burning straw to a green harvesting system, as well as the use of minimum soil tillage during field renovation, may affect soil fertility and soil organic matter (SOM) contents. The objectives of this work were to investigate the influence of sugar cane production systems on: (1) soil fertility parameters; (2) on physical carbon fractions; (3) and on humic substance fractions, in a long-term experiment, comparing two soil tillage and two residue management systems an Xanthic Udult, in the coastal tableland region of Espírito Santo State, Brazil. The treatments consisted of plots (conventional tillage (CT) or minimum tillage (MT)) and subplots (residue burned or unburned at harvesting), with five replicates The highest values of Ca2+ + Mg2+ and total organic carbon (TOC) were observed in the MT system in all soil layers, while high values of K+ were observed in the 0.1-0.2 m layer. The CT associated with the burned residue management negatively influenced the TOC values, especially in the 0.1-0.2 and 0.2-0.4 m layers. The carbon in the humin fraction and organic matter associated with minerals were significantly different among the tillage systems; the MT showed higher values than the CT. However, there were no significant differences between the sugarcane residue management treatments. Overall, fractioning the SOM allowed for a better understanding of tillage and residue management systems effects on the soil properties.


2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 486-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew W. Lenssen

In the semiarid northern Great Plains, the adoption of zero tillage improves soil water conservation, allowing for increased crop intensification and diversification. Zero-tillage crop production relies heavily on herbicides for weed management, particularly the herbicide glyphosate, increasing selection pressure for herbicide-resistant weeds. Barley is well adapted to the northern Great Plains, and may be a suitable herbicide-free forage crop in zero-tillage systems. A 2-yr field study was conducted to determine if planting date influenced crop and weed biomass, water use (WU), and water-use efficiency (WUE) of barley and weed seed production in three preplant weed management systems: (1) conventional preplant tillage with a field cultivator (TILL); (2) zero tillage with preemergence glyphosate application (ZTPRE); and (3) zero tillage without preemergence glyphosate (ZT). None of the systems included an in-crop herbicide. Planting dates were mid-April (early), late May (mid), and mid-June (delayed). Early planting of ZT barley resulted in excellent forage yields (7,228 kg/ha), similar to those from TILL and ZTPRE. Early planting resulted in a small accumulation of weed biomass, averaging 76 kg/ha, and no weed seed production regardless of preplant weed management system. Early planting resulted in higher WU than delayed planting, averaging 289 and 221 mm, respectively, across management systems and years. The WUE of crop and total biomass did not differ among preplant weed management systems at harvest from the early planting date. Delayed planting resulted in decreased forage yield with high amounts of weed biomass and seed production, especially in ZT. A pre-emergence glyphosate application was not necessary for early-planted ZT forage barley. Early planting of herbicide-free barley for forage can be an excellent addition to northern Great Plains cropping systems as part of a multitactic approach for improved weed and water management.


1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 58-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Hammel

Sustainable crop production in the Pacific Northwest dry-farmed areas relies heavily on tillage and residue management systems to conserve water. Stable, sustainable yields cannot be achieved without adequate water conservation techniques. Frozen soil can reduce infiltration markedly, which decreases overwinter profile water storage and can cause severe soil erosion. Uncurbed evaporation losses throughout the year can greatly limit yields, particularly with summer fallow.In both summer-fallowed and annually cropped regions where soil freezes frequently, fall tillage is used to increase surface macroporosity and to provide open channels to below the frost depth. This enhances infiltration throughout the winter and insures better water intake during rapid snowmelt and rainfall when the soil is frozen. Fall tillage enhances overwinter water recharge under these conditions, whereas in areas where soil freezes infrequently, it does not improve water storage efficiency.In the dry-farmed regions receiving less than 330 mm annual precipitation, a winter wheat-fallow system is used to reduce the risk of uneconomical yields. Successful establishment of winter wheat following summer fallow is feasible only when proper management has suppressed evaporative loss. During the dry summer fallow, tillage is used to develop and maintain a soil mulch that restricts the flow of water, as both liquid and vapor. The tillage mulch effectively conserves stored soil water and maintains adequate seedzone moisture for fall establishment of winter wheat. However, the soil mulch can lead to high wind and water erosion.In the Pacific Northwest dry-farmed region, tillage by itself is not considered a substitute for proper residue management. Crop residues following harvest are important for conserving water and controlling erosion. Under conservation programs implemented since 1985, shallow subsurface tillage systems that maintain residues on the surface have substantially reduced wind and water erosion in the region. Surface residues are effective in decreasing evaporative water loss and trapping snow during the winter, and therefore increase overwinter recharge. While surface residues are much less effective in suppressing evaporative losses in dry-farmed areas during extended dry periods, residues provide substantial control of wind and water erosion during the fallow.Before conservation tillage systems came into use in the Pacific Northwest, water conservation frequently was achieved only through tillage. This helped to stabilize yields, but at a high cost to the soil resource. Poor use of surface residues and intensive tillage contributed to extensive wind and water erosion. Continued use of these practices would have caused yields to decline over time and required greater agrichemical inputs. To meet soil and water conservation needs, site-specific tillage and residue management systems were developed to account for the diversity and variability of soils and climate across the Pacific Northwest. Common to all these production systems is that both water conservation and effective residue management to protect the soil are required for long-term sustainable production.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document