Harvest management based on leaf stage of a tetraploid vs. a diploid cultivar of annual ryegrass

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Authors

Solomon, J. K. Q.
Macoon, B.
Lang, David J.

Issue Date

2017

Type

Article

Language

en_US

Keywords

crop growth rate , diploid , forage harvested , forage morphology , leaf stage defoliation , Marshall annual ryegrass , Maximus annual ryegrass , nutritive value , residual stubble height , tetraploid , tiller density , water-soluble carbohydrate

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Abstract

Leaf stage-dependent defoliation is linked to the plant's physiological status and may be a more suitable criterion than time-based intervals for harvesting forage grasses, but no reports of research with annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam. var. westerwoldicum) were found. To address this, a 2-year field study was carried out at Raymond, MS, on a Loring silt loam soil (fine-silty, mixed, thermic Typic Fragiudalfs). Forage production, morphological characteristics and nutritive value responses to defoliation based on leaf stage (2, 3 and 4 leaves per tiller) and two residual stubble heights (RSH 5 and 10 cm) of a tetraploid ("Maximus") vs. a diploid ("Marshall") cultivar of annual ryegrass were quantified. Forage harvested, in 2011, increased linearly as leaf stage increased from 7.3 to 8.8 Mg/ha, but during 2012 was least (7.0 Mg/ha) at 3-leaf stage and similar at the other two leaf stages (7.6 Mg/ha). Tiller density was less for Maximus (1,191 tillers/m(2)) than for Marshall (1,383 tillers/m(2)). Leaf blade proportion decreased with increasing leaf stage and was greater by 9% for Maximus than for Marshall. Generally, forage nutritive value became less desirable with increasing leaf stage. There was a dichotomy in forage harvested and nutritive value responses, but maximum forage productivity was achieved when annual ryegrass was defoliated at the 4-leaf stage interval.

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Solomon, J. K. Q., Macoon, B., & Lang, D. J. (2017). Harvest management based on leaf stage of a tetraploid vs. a diploid cultivar of annual ryegrass. Grass and Forage Science, 72(4), 743�"756. doi:10.1111/gfs.12313

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Grass and Forage Science

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0142-5242

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