Reevaluation of row spacing/plant density of seeded pasture grasses for the semiarid prairie

1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul G. Jefferson ◽  
G. Andrew Kielly
Keyword(s):  
Plant Density ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
Agropyron Cristatum ◽  
Row Spacing ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Crested Wheatgrass ◽  
Psathyrostachys Juncea ◽  
Pasture Grasses ◽  
Medicago Sativa L ◽  
Harvest Method

Previous research in the semiarid prairie at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, indicated that optimum row spacing for forage production was 60 or 90 cm for crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum [L.] Gaertner) and Russian wild ryegrass (Psathyrostachys juncea [Fisch.] Nevski). However, recent research suggested that harvest method affects forage yield estimates from row spacing experiments. An experiment with three row spacings of mixtures of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) with crested wheatgrass and Russian wild ryegrass was harvested mechanically and by hand. Yield differences between methods of harvesting were affected by row spacing; larger differences were observed at 15 cm than at 60 cm spacing, particularly for Russian wild ryegrass. The highest hand-harvested forage yield estimates were observed in the narrowest row spacing. In a second experiment, plant density was evaluated for the same grasses using square grid spacings of 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 cm. Decreasing plant density was associated with decreased hand-harvested forage yield in both species. In a third experiment, 60- and 90-cm row spacing resulted in more seed heads and lower leaf content than 30-cm row spacing. Leaf digestibility increased slightly with increased row spacing. These results suggest that 30-cm row spacing should be recommended to producers for sustainable pastures in the semiarid prairie region. Key words: Forage yield, forage quality, leaf:stem ratio, plot technique

EFFECTS OF HERBICIDES AND THEIR APPLICATION TIME ON ALFALFA FORAGE PRODUCTION

1987 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 849-852 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN WADDINGTON
Keyword(s):  
Taraxacum Officinale ◽  
Bromus Inermis ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
Agropyron Cristatum ◽  
Application Time ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Crested Wheatgrass ◽  
Crepis Tectorum ◽  
Phosphorus Levels

Dichlobenil at 2 kg ha−1 yearly increased alfalfa (Medicago media Pers. ’Beaver’) forage yield by 17% over 4 yr, and controlled narrow-leaved hawk’s-beard (Crepis tectorum L.) and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Weber). Terbacil increased forage yield by 5% in spite of damage to the alfalfa immediately after application in spring and at 2 kg ha−1 suppressed growth of bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) and crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.). 2,4-D controlled only narrow-leaved hawk’s-beard, damaged alfalfa moderately to severely, reduced yields, but increased forage protein and phosphorus levels some of the time. There were no significant differences in yield between fall and spring applications of herbicides.Key words: Alfalfa, simazine, 2,4-D, dichlobenil, terbacil, napropamide

Effects of including dry polyacrylamide gel with seed on establishment of alfalfa and Russian wildrye

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Waddington
Keyword(s):  
Medicago Sativa ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Polyacrylamide Gel ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
First Year ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Psathyrostachys Juncea ◽  
Loam Soil ◽  
Russian Wildrye ◽  
Medicago Sativa L

To examine the possible benefits of crosslinked polyacrylamide gel when establishing forages in a semiarid environment, applications of dry gel in fine, medium and coarse granular forms were made at rates from 0.25 to 4.00 g m−1 of row with seed of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and Russian wildrye [Psathyrostachys juncea (Fisch.) Nevski] in each year 1992–1994 at Swift Current, Saskatchewan. The gel had no effect on seedling year establishment or first year forage production on a sandy-loam soil. On a nearby sandy-clay loam soil, in one of 3 yr with alfalfa, and 2 of 3 yr with Russian wildrye, the lowest gel rate decreased establishment compared with the check, with a further reduction as the rate of gel increased. Alfalfa forage yields were not affected. Gel application decreased Russian wildrye forage yield in 1 of 3 yr. Key words: Medicago sativa, Psathyrostachys juncea, forage yield, soil texture

scholarly journals Yield and nutritive value of alfalfa cultivars sown at different densities

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 147-156
Author(s):  
R. Stanisavljevic ◽  
Z. Tomic ◽  
Z. Lugic ◽  
J. Milenkovic ◽  
D. Djokic
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
Row Spacing ◽  
Dry Matter Yield ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
High Positive Correlation ◽  
Seed Rate

The effect of cultivar and plant density on dry matter yield and nutritive value of alfalfa was studied. The trial was conducted at the first cutting of alfalfa plants in their second and third years of growth, and four cultivars and two different crop densities were tested. The cultivars were found to have significant effect on dry matter yield, proportion of leaf in total yield and content of crude proteins under both densities. The highest forage yield was achieved in first density (20 cm row spacing with 15 kgha-1 seed rate). The wide row spacing (50 cm) with low seed rate (9 kgha-1) was showed lower forage production. The effect of cultivars and plant density on other parameters of forage nutritive value was insignificant. A high positive correlation with the proportion of leaf was found for the content of crude proteins (r=0.961), concentration of potassium (r=0.876), phosphorus (r=0.561), calcium (r=0.550) and content of crude fat (r=0.500). Crude fiber was highly negatively correlated with leaf proportion (r=0.916), while the latter showed no correlation with crude ash (r=0.185) and nitrogen-free extract (0.010).

LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF ROW SPACING AND FERTILIZER ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF RUSSIAN WILD RYEGRASS

1968 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Lawrence ◽  
D. H. Heinrichs
Keyword(s):  
Ammonium Phosphate ◽  
Phosphate Fertilizer ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
Row Spacing ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Bare Ground ◽  
Drought Period

A study was conducted from 1947 to 1966 to determine the long-term effects of row spacings and applications of ammonium phosphate fertilizer (16–20–0) on the productivity and persistence of Russian wild ryegrass, Elymus junceus Fisch.The optimum row spacing for highest seed production was 0.9 m, whereas for highest forage production it was 0.6 m. The 280-kg/ha rate of fertilizer significantly increased the seed and forage yield over the 151-kg/ha rate, which in turn significantly increased the yield over the zero fertilizer treatment.Increases in precipitation in August and September increased the seed yield of Russian wild ryegrass the following year. Significant positive correlations were found between forage yields and precipitation during March, April, May, and the previous September for practically all treatments.Width of row increased with age of stand. During the 19-year period there was still bare ground between the grass rows seeded 0.9 and 1.2 m apart. These areas of bare ground were slightly narrower when fertilizer was used, indicating that fertilizer application tended to accelerate row-width development.Russian wild ryegrass was found to have excellent cold tolerance, drought tolerance and persistence. It survived through a long drought period and resisted invasion by weeds and volunteer grass seedlings after the third crop year.

CLIPPING FREQUENCY AND FERTILIZER EFFECTS ON PRODUCTIVITY AND LONGEVITY OF FIVE GRASSES

1961 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Heinrichs ◽  
K. W. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Crude Protein ◽  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
The Other ◽  
Protein Yield ◽  
Agropyron Cristatum ◽  
Cold Climates ◽  
Agropyron Intermedium ◽  
Pasture Grasses

Agropyron cristatum, Agropyron intermedium, Agropyron riparium, Elymus junceus and Stipa viridula were studied in relation to clipping effects on productivity and longevity. All species, except Elymus junceus, produced progressively less as number of clippings increased. Agropyron intermedium yielded the most forage, especially when harvested only once per season, followed closely by Agropyron cristatum. Crude protein yield was less variable under various frequencies of clipping than forage yield, and differences between species were also smaller. Elymus junceus and Agropyron cristatum displayed the strongest competitive ability, especially under frequent clipping and Stipa viridula the lowest. The amount of root produced varied significantly between species. Agropyron cristatum and Elymus junceus produced the most root and Stipa viridula the least. Fertilizer applied in the fourth and fifth crop years increased the yield by 30 to 200 per cent. It was concluded that Agropyron cristatum and Elymus junceus were about equally persistent under frequent clipping and should be more useful long-term pasture grasses than the other three in dry cold climates.

Effect of plant density on the expression of the creeping-rooted character and forage yield of the lucerne (Medicago sativa) cultivar Cancreep

1974 ◽  
Vol 14 (71) ◽  
pp. 735 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Daday ◽  
A Grassia ◽  
J Peak
Keyword(s):  
Medicago Sativa ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Crown Diameter ◽  
High Plant Density ◽  
Significant Difference

The effects of plant density, grass competition and weedicide spraying on the expression of the creeping-rooted character, crown development and on forage production of Cancreep were investigated in swards of hand-planted seedlings, and in a sown experiment. Higher percentages of creeping-rooted plants and increased crown development were found at low plant density whereas high plant density suppressed both creep and crown development. Weedicide spraying treatments increased the percentage of creeping plants in the sown experiment. The best survival rates of cocksfoot and optimum expressions of creep were also found at low densities when these species were grown in competition. The minimum mean crown diameter of plants initiating creep was 9.4 cm in the planted experiment. No significant difference was found between forage production of Cancreep and Hunter River in the sown experiment. The optimum sowing rate for Cancreep is about one kg ha-1, rows 30 cm to 60 cm apart and an application of the weedicide Diuron is recommended before the commencement of the winter after establishment.

EFFECT OF ROW SPACING ON BIOMASS PRODUCTION AND ABOVEGROUND HARVESTABILITY OF RUSSIAN WILDRYE

1990 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 555-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. LEYSHON ◽  
H. CUTFORTH ◽  
J. WADOINGTON ◽  
P. C. RYMES
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Production ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Plant Morphology ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
Row Spacing ◽  
The Third ◽  
Psathyrostachys Juncea ◽  
Russian Wildrye ◽  
Significant Yield

Russian wildrye (Psathyrostachys juncea [Fischer] Nevski) was grown in 15- and 60-cm row spacings at Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Beginning in the third year after establishment and continuing for 4 yr, dry matter yields taken by machine were compared to yields taken by hand in a two-cut system. The machine harvested 54% of the available dry matter in the 60-cm rows but only 27% in the 15-cm rows. Apart from one cut in 1 yr, there were no significant yield differences due to row spacing when the forage was harvested by hand. The results indicate the need for more research on the effects of row spacing, especially with regard to the grazing animal.Key words: Psathyrostachys juncea (Fischer) Nevski in Komarov, hand sampling, machine harvesting, plant morphology, forage yield

Short-lived intercrop forages affect long-term yields of alfalfa and wildrye grass mixtures

2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-74
Author(s):  
A. J. Leyshon ◽  
P. G. Jefferson ◽  
J. Waddington
Keyword(s):  
Medicago Sativa ◽  
Avena Sativa ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Elymus Trachycaulus ◽  
Psathyrostachys Juncea ◽  
Russian Wildrye ◽  
Slender Wheatgrass

Widely seeded rows (>60 cm) of perennial grasses have exhibited greater long-term yield stability, but allow weed invasion in the first years after establishment. A 9-yr study was conducted at a semiarid site at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada, to determine the effects of intercropping oats (Avena sativa L.) and slender wheatgrass [Elymus trachycaulus (Link) Gould ex Shinners] between rows of Russian wildrye [Psathyrostachys juncea (Fisch.) Nevski], and Altai wildrye [Leymus angustus (Trin) Pilger] seeded in 90-cm spacings either alone or in alternate rows with alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Two rows of oats depressed grass forage production in the year following establishment. Slender wheatgrass intercrops reduced grass forage yield and alfalfa forage yield. However, slender wheatgrass contributed to increased total forage yields while it persisted in the mixture. By the fifth year, it had disappeared from the Russian wildrye plots but persisted 2 more years when intercropped with Altai wildrye. Interseeded companion crops, either annual or short-lived perennials, for forage will give short-term yield gains, but long-lived perennial forages may not recover from the competition in the long-term. Key words: Avena sativa, Elymus trachycaulus, Psathyrostachys juncea, Leymus angustus, Medicago sativa, forage yield

scholarly journals Forage Potential of Cultivated Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)1

1994 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. Gorbet ◽  
R. L. Stanley ◽  
D. A. Knauft
Keyword(s):  
Arachis Hypogaea ◽  
Leaf Spot ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Breeding Lines ◽  
Arachis Hypogaea L ◽  
Cultivated Peanut ◽  
Medicago Sativa L ◽  
Forage Yields

Abstract Livestock production enterprises in the southern USA depend primarily on forage for feed. With the development of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) lines with good late leaf spot (Cercosporidium personatum (Berk. & Curt.) Deighton) resistance in the Florida breeding program, studies were initiated in 1983 at Marianna to evaluate their forage potential. Peanut breeding lines were grown without fungicide applications for leaf spot control and cuttings were made to evaluate forage production. Two forage cuttings were compared to a single cutting or harvest for each genotype. Pod yields were taken at the end of each season. Some lines produced dry matter forage yields exceeding 9000 kg ha-1 with two cuttings, with some single harvest yields exceeding 7000 kg ha-1. Significant differences were observed among genotypes, years, and forage harvest treatments. Two cuttings always produced the greatest forage yield but reduced pod yields as much as 50% for some entries. Some genotypes produced pod yields of 4000 kg ha-1 with the single forage harvest. Crude protein values for the forage were generally higher for two cuttings (14.0 − 19.6%), as compared to the single cutting or harvest (12.5 − 15.1%). In vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) ranged from 59.6 − 72% for forage samples. These protein and digestibility values compare favorably to alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and perennial rhizoma peanut cultivars of A. glabrata Benth.

scholarly journals Intercropping Alfalfa into Silage Maize Can Be More Profitable than Maize Silage Followed by Spring-Seeded Alfalfa

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1196
Author(s):  
Marisol T. Berti ◽  
Johanna Lukaschewsky ◽  
Dulan P. Samarappuli
Keyword(s):  
Maize Yield ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
First Year ◽  
Row Spacing ◽  
Net Returns ◽  
Silage Maize ◽  
Main Plot ◽  
Medicago Sativa L ◽  
Maize Grain ◽  
Prohexadione Calcium

Intercropping of silage maize (Zea mays L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is not a common practice because alfalfa generally reduces maize grain and biomass yield. The objective of this research was to evaluate the productivity and profitability of silage maize–alfalfa intercropping, with a goal to establish alfalfa and increase alfalfa productivity in the first year of production. The experiment was conducted in Fargo and Prosper, ND, USA, in 2014–2017. The design was a randomized complete block with four replicates and a split-plot arrangement. The main plot had two maize row-spacing treatments (RS), 61 and 76 cm, respectively. Treatments in the subplot were: (1) maize monoculture, (2) maize intercropped with alfalfa, (3) maize intercropped with alfalfa + prohexadione-calcium (PHX), and (4) spring-seeded alfalfa in the following year (simulating a maize–spring-seeded alfalfa crop sequence). Both alfalfa and maize were seeded the same day in May of 2014 at both locations. Prohexadione-calcium, a growth regulator to reduce internode length and avoid etiolation of alfalfa seedlings, did not improve alfalfa plant survival. Averaged across locations, RS did not have an effect on silage maize yield and alfalfa forage yield. Alfalfa established in intercropping with maize had almost double the forage yield in the following year compared with spring-seeded alfalfa following a crop of silage maize. Considering a two-year system, alfalfa intercropped with maize had higher net returns than a silage-maize followed by a spring-seeded alfalfa sequence. This system has the potential to get more growers to have alfalfa in the rotation skipping the typical low forage yield of alfalfa in the establishment year.

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