PERFORMANCE OF FOUR IRRIGATED PASTURE MIXTURES UNDER GRAZING BY SHEEP

1961 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 533-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. Wilson ◽  
R. D. Clark

Four herbage mixtures with two levels of fertilizer application were compared for 6 consecutive years under grazing by sheep. The most satisfactory mixture with respect to yield, persistence, and stability was one of orchardgrass, Dactylis glomerata L., smooth bromegrass, Bromus inermis Leys., creeping red fescue, Festuca rubra L., and ladino clover, Trifolium repens L. The same mixture of grasses without clover was lower yielding even with annual applications of 78 pounds of nitrogen and 48 pounds of P2O5 per acre. A mixture of orchardgrass, tall fescue, Festuca arundinacea Schreb., reed canary grass, Phalaris arundinacea L., and alfalfa, Medicago sativa L. yielded well, and combated weed encroachment but the alfalfa did not persist beyond the third year. Tall fescue was very aggressive in this mixture. A mixture of orchardgrass and ladino clover yielded well for a few years but became badly infested with weeds as the orchardgrass was reduced through winter killing. Moderate yield increases were obtained from phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizer applications on all mixtures.

2001 ◽  
Vol 10 (Supplement) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. SAIJONKARI-PAHKALA

This study was begun in 1990 when there was a marked shortage of short fibre raw material for the pulp industry. During the last ten years the situation has changed little, and the shortage is still apparent. It was estimated that 0.5 to 1 million hectares of arable land would be set aside from cultivation in Finland during this period. An alternative to using hardwoods in printing papers is non-wood fibres from herbaceous field crops. The study aimed at determining the feasibility of using non-wood plants as raw material for the pulp and paper industry, and developing crop management methods for the selected species. The properties considered important for a fibre crop were high yielding ability, high pulping quality and good adaptation to the prevailing climatic conditions and possibilities for low cost production. A strategy and a process to identify, select and introduce a crop for domestic short fibre production is described in this thesis. The experimental part of the study consisted of screening plant species by analysing fibre and mineral content, evaluating crop management methods and varieties, resulting in description of an appropriate cropping system for large-scale fibre plant production. Of the 17 herbaceous plant species studied, monocotyledons were most suitable for pulping. They were productive and well adapted to Finnish climatic conditions. Of the monocots, reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) were the most promising. These were chosen for further studies and were included in field experiments to determine the most suitable harvesting system and fertilizer application procedures for biomass production. Reed canary grass was favoured by delayed harvesting in spring when the moisture content of the crop stand was 10-15% of DM before production of new tillers. When sown in early spring, reed canary grass typically yielded 7-8 t ha-1 within three years on clay soil. The yield exceeded 10 t ha-1 on organic soil after the second harvest year. Spring harvesting was not suitable for tall fescue and resulted in only 37-54% of dry matter yields and in far fewer stems and panicles than harvested during the growing season. The economic optimum for fertilizer application rate for reed canary grass ranged from 50 to 100 kg N ha-1 when grown on clay soil and harvested in spring. On organic soil the fertilizer rates needed were lower. If tall fescue is used for raw material for paper, fertilizer application rates higher than 100 kg N ha-1 were not of any additional benefit. It was possible to decrease the mineral content of raw material by harvesting in spring, using moderate fertilizer application rates, removing leaf blades from the raw material and growing the crop on organic soil. The fibre content of the raw material increased the later the crop was harvested, being highest in spring. Removing leaf blades and using minimum fertilizer application rates in-creased the fibre content of biomass.;


1990 ◽  
Vol 115 (4) ◽  
pp. 608-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Johnson-Cicalese ◽  
C.R. Funk

Studies were conducted on the host plants of four billbug species (Coleoptera:Curculionidae: Sphenophorus parvulus Gyllenhal, S. venatus Chitt., S. inaequalis Say, and S. minimus Hart) found on New Jersey turfgrasses. A collection of 4803 adults from pure stands of various turfgrasses revealed all four billbugs on Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), and S. parvulus, S. venatus, and S. minimus on Chewings fescue (F. rubra L. ssp. commutata Gaud.). Since the presence of larvae, pupae, or teneral adults more accurately indicates the host status of a grass species, immature billbugs were collected from plugs of the various grass species and reared to adults for identification. All four species were reared from immature billbugs found in Kentucky bluegrass turf; immatures of S. venatus, S. inaequalis, and S. minimus were found in tall fescue; S. venatus and S. minimus in perennial ryegrass; and S. inaequalis in strong creeping red fescue (F. rubra L. ssp. rubra). A laboratory experiment was also conducted in which billbug adults were confined in petri dishes with either Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, or bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon Pers.). Only minor differences were found between the four grasses in billbug survival, number of eggs laid, and amount of feeding. In general, bermudagrass was the least favored host and the other grasses were equally adequate hosts. The results of this study indicate a need for updating host-plant lists of these four billbug species.


2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 9-15
Author(s):  
P. Hutla ◽  
P. Jevič ◽  
Z. Strašil ◽  
J. Kočica

Five different energy grass plants (reed canary grass, tall fescue, orchardgrass, tall oatgrass, red top) were identified and studied for the purpose of determining the fuel energy qualities of the plants&rsquo; mass while focusing on ash fusion temperatures. The plants were cultivated on four different locations and harvested in various times of the year (early summer, autumn and spring of the following year). It was found that the ash fusion temperatures of plants harvested in early summer were substantially lower in comparison with the autumn and spring harvest. The analysis of the composition of the ashes gathered from samples of grass plants harvested in early summer contained a substantially higher level of potassium, higher level of sodium and higher level of anions Cl<sup>&ndash;</sup> and PO<sub>4</sub><sup>3&ndash;</sup>. SiO<sub>2</sub> is the most represented component in all of the ashes, with the late harvest having approximately 2&ndash;3 times higher level than the early one.


2016 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 87-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vita Tilvikiene ◽  
Zydre Kadziuliene ◽  
Zenonas Dabkevicius ◽  
Kestutis Venslauskas ◽  
Kestutis Navickas

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2487
Author(s):  
Nguyen Thi Mui ◽  
Meixue Zhou ◽  
David Parsons ◽  
Rowan William Smith

The formation of aerenchyma in adventitious roots is one of the most crucial adaptive traits for waterlogging tolerance in plants. Pasture grasses, like other crops, can be affected by waterlogging, and there is scope to improve tolerance through breeding. In this study, two summer-active cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) cultivars, Lazuly and Porto, and two summer-active tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum Schreb., syn. Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) cultivars, Hummer and Quantum II MaxP, were selected to investigate the effects of waterlogging on root growth and morphological change. Cultivars were subjected to four periods of waterlogging treatments (7, 14, 21 and 28 days), while comparable plants were kept under free drained control conditions. The experiment was arranged as a split–split plot design, with waterlogging treatments (waterlogged, control) considered as main plots, time periods (days of waterlogging) as subplots and cultivars as sub-subplots. Plants began to show signs of waterlogging stress 14–21 days after the onset of waterlogging treatments. There were no significant differences in shoot biomass between the waterlogged and control plants of any cultivar. However, waterlogging significantly reduced root dry matter in all cultivars, with greater reduction in cocksfoot (56%) than in tall fescue (38%). Waterlogging also led to increased adventitious root and aerenchyma formation in both species. Cocksfoot cultivars showed a greater increase in adventitious roots, while tall fescue cultivars had a greater proportion of aerenchyma. Both cultivars within each species showed similar responses to waterlogging treatments. However, an extended screening program is needed to identify whether there are varietal differences within species, which could be used to discover genes related to aerenchyma or adventitious root formation (waterlogging tolerance) for use in breeding programs.


2002 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.S. Gardner ◽  
J.A. Taylor

In 1992, a cultivar trial was initiated in Columbus, Ohio to evaluate differences in establishment and long-term performance of cultivars of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), creeping red fescue (F. rubra), chewings fescue (F. rubra ssp. fallax), hard fescue (F. brevipila), kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), rough bluegrass (P. trivialis), and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) under low maintenance conditions in a shaded environment. Fertilizer and supplemental irrigation were applied until 1994 to establish the grasses, after which no supplemental irrigation, or pesticides were applied and fertilizer rates were reduced to 48.8 kg·ha-1 (1 lb/1000 ft2) of N per year. Percentage cover and overall quality data were collected in 2000 and compared with data collected in 1994. Initial establishment success does not appear to be a good predictor of long-term success of a cultivar in a shaded environment. There was some variability in cultivar performance under shade within a given turfgrass species. The tall fescue cultivars, as a group, had the highest overall quality and percentage cover under shade, followed by the fine fescues, kentucky bluegrass, rough bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass cultivars.


1987 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 255-262
Author(s):  
Hideo HOSAKA ◽  
Hideo INABA ◽  
Atsushi SATOH ◽  
Tohru TANOUE

2000 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Virgona ◽  
A. Bowcher

The response to variation in grazing interval over the spring–autumn period in southern New South Wales was examined on 4 perennial grass species over 2 years. Plots of phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L. cv. Sirolan), cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L. cv. Porto), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Shreb cv. Demeter) and a native danthonia (Danthonia richardsonii cv. Taranna), were grazed by sheep every 2, 5 or 8 weeks, either rainfed or given supplementary irrigation. Basal cover was monitored over this period and is combined with measurements of phenological development and herbage mass to explain differences in persistence. The seasons differed with respect to rainfall, 1994–95 being dry compared to 1995–96. Over the 1994–95 season, the relative change in basal cover [RCBC, the ratio of final (May 1995) to initial (September 1994) basal cover] of the 3 introduced perennial grasses was significantly less than 1, which indicated a decline in basal cover over the measurement period. In contrast, RCBC was 1.55 for danthonia. Grazing interval treatments significantly affected RCBC in 1994–95, RCBC increasing with grazing interval. In the 8-week grazing interval, RCBC did not significantly differ from 1. Changes in density were also measured in 1994–95 and followed a similar pattern to RCBC for species effects although there was no significant effect of grazing interval. In 1995–96, there were interactions between watering and both species and grazing interval. The RCBC (September 1995–May 1996) was significantly greater than 1 for cocksfoot and tall fescue under irrigated conditions but not under rainfed conditions. The response to grazing interval depended on water supply. The 5-week grazing interval led to the highest RCBC under both rainfed and irrigated conditions. However, when rainfed, the 5- and 8-week treatments were not significantly different, whereas under irrigation, the 2- and 5-week treatments did not significantly differ. For the 1995–96 season, a movement index (MI, ratio of newly colonised area to that occupied throughout the season) was measured. There was a strong interaction between species and watering but phalaris was the most mobile (highest MI) of the 4 species under both rainfed and irrigated conditions. The absence of any interaction between species and grazing interval in either 1994–95 or 1995–96 suggests that response to grazing of these species may be similar despite differences in survival mechanisms.


1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 701-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. W. Carr ◽  
T. M. Ballard

For testing salt effects on seed and Rhizobium, 10–30–10 fertilizer and KCl solutions were used; the solutions had an osmotic potential of − 2.5 MPa, equivalent to 90 kg of the fertilizer per cubic metre of water. Solution contact for 1 h slightly affected the viability of Rhizobium trifolii Dangeard but the effects were not of practical significance. Reduced viability was exhibited by Festuca arundinacea Schreb., F. rubra L. var. commutata Gaud., and Trifolium repens L. seed which had been rinsed after 1 h of fertilizer solution contact. Agrostis alba L., Dactylis glomerata L., F. rubra L., Lolium perenne L., L. multiflorum L., Phleum pratense L., T. hybridum L., and T. pratense L. were not significantly affected. In tests of seed unrinsed after solution contact for 1 h, viability of F. rubra, F. arundinacea, and T. repens was significantly reduced; that of L. multiflorum was not. Trifolium repens was more affected than in the test of rinsed seed.As T. repens viability was reduced as much as 30%, seed of this species might be applied separately from hydroseeder slurries having high fertilizer concentrations. Significant effects on other species tested are too small to influence hydroseeding methods, but amount and proportion of the seed mix may be altered where high fertilizer concentrations are used.


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