CONSIDERATIONS FOR USING RYEGRASS AND SMALL GRAINS FOR FORAGE

摘要

Annual cool-season grasses are often used in cattle operations to provide forage during the fall, winter and spring but agronomic practices can impact the productivity and thus the feasibility of using these grasses. Three studies were conducted to determine productivity of annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), cereal rye (Secale cereale), oat (Avena sativa) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) when planted in monoculture and mixtures on prepared land and directly into an existing perennial warm-season grass sod. Each trial was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications and planted each fall for three years on silt loam soil in northeast Louisiana. Areas used for the studies were fertilized with P and K as recommended from soilsample analyses. There was a minimum 140 lb N/ac applied using split applications with the first application soon after emergence and the second application following the first harvest. Another 70 lb N per acre was applied in February or March to studiesin which harvests continued through the entire production season. Forage production from annual ryegrass was much greater when planted on a prepared seedbed than when seeded into a perennial grass sod. Use of chemical desiccants prior to sodseeding didimprove forage production from annual ryegrass but was not as effective as tillage. Including cereal rye or oats when planting on prepared land did enhance late fall forage production but this advantage over annual ryegrass did not persist through the winter. Late fall and early winter productivity was minimal from small grains and annual ryegrass seeded directly into a perennial warm-season grass sod. Results indicate the feasibility of using small grains or planting on prepared land or sodseeding depends on the premium placed on fall and early winter forage production.