An evaluation of the problem of volunteer ryegrass in seed production

摘要

This investigation was conducted to establish the degree and means of eliminating unwanted volunteers ofLolium multiflorumfrom fields used for seed production of a cultivar of the same species. This information is necessary in order to make recommendations with respect to the production of certified seed of new cultivars on old fields. It appears that 5#x2013;10 of commonly grown Common Annual Italian ryegrass caryopses are dormant. This dormancy can be most efficiently overcome by wetting and drying the seeds. Light and chemical treatments did not substitute for this treatment. Although it is not known how this type of dormancy is broken, the present information does allow the development of a strategy for eliminating volunteers from pastures. The time necessary to implement these suggestions successfully must, however, be determined by experimentation.