POLISH RAPESEED AS A COMPANION CROP FOR ESTABLISHING FORAGES IN NORTHEASTERN SASKATCHEWAN

1984 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 677-682 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. WADDINGTON ◽  
S. BITTMAN

Forages were seeded with and without a Polish rapeseed (Brassica campestris L.) companion crop at two dates in each of 3 yr. In each test, forage seedlings grew much better where seeded alone; growth under the companion crop varied from poor to fairly good, depending on the year and the forage species. Russian wild ryegrass (Elymus junceus Fisch.) established poorly under rapeseed. Bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) establishment was satisfactory in all tests, although production in the year following was usually much less than where it was seeded alone. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and sainfoin (Onobrychis viciaefolia Scop.) establishment was poor to fair under rapeseed. A mid-May seeding date with the companion crop resulted in better forage growth by fall than a later seeding date. A feature of all tests was the severe infestation of volunteer rapeseed the year following seeding in all forages except bromegrass. Because of growth suppression during the establishment year, and difficulties with volunteer rapeseed in legumes in the year following establishment, it is suggested that Polish rapeseed is not a good companion crop when establishing legumes and Russian wild ryegrass.Key words: Bromegrass, alfalfa, Russian wild ryegrass, sainfoin, rapeseed, companion crops, forage establishment

1987 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 263-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. WADDINGTON ◽  
N. MALIK

In two experiments at Melfort using alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. ’Beaver’) seeded at a rate of 2 kg ha−1 with and without a Polish rapeseed (Brassica campestris L. ’Candle’) companion crop seeded at 5.5 kg ha−1, rapeseed yields in the establishment year were maximum when alfalfa and rapeseed were mixed and planted in 15-cm rows. Alfalfa showed no consistent seed yield differences between broadcast seeding, seeding in 15- or 61-cm rows, or seeding with or without the companion crop.Key words: Alfalfa, rapeseed, Brassica campestris, seed production


1985 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 787-791
Author(s):  
H. A. BURITY ◽  
B. E. COULMAN ◽  
M. A. FARIS

A greenhouse experiment has shown that total nitrogenase activity of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is not significantly affected when grown in association with timothy (Phleum pratense L.), smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss) or orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) except after initial harvest when decreased alfalfa activity was associated with smooth bromegrass or orchardgrass. It was concluded that mixed cultures of alfalfa with timothy, smooth bromegrass or orchardgrass have no effect on alfalfa N2 fixation. The results also suggest the occurrence of N transference from alfalfa to associated grasses. It is speculated that this transfer is not primarily due to the death of roots and nodule tissue (after harvest), but involves some degree of N excretion during the period before initial harvest.Key words: Alfalfa-grass mixtures, N2-fixation, nodule activity, N-transference


1976 ◽  
Vol 54 (17) ◽  
pp. 1997-1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. T. McDonough

Seeds of smooth brome grass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. cultivar Ladak) were allowed to imbibe in water or solutions of polyethylene glycol (Carbowax 1540), mannitol, or sodium chloride. Seed water potentials were determined over a 72-h period after transfer of seeds to thermocouple psychrometer chambers. Seed water potentials were lower than osmotic potentials of the media, but these two potentials were not clearly related to each other. Possible reasons for the lack of gradation in response are discussed.


1965 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Cooke ◽  
S. E. Beacom ◽  
W. K. Dawley

Two grass–alfalfa mixtures were compared for seven consecutive years when continuously and when rotationally grazed by yearling Hereford steers. The productivity of rotationally grazed pastures as affected by annual application of fertilizers was also determined. Intermediate wheatgrass (Agropyron intermedium L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) compared favorably with the standard mixture of bromegrass (Bromus inermis L.) and alfalfa for pasture purposes. Production of dry matter ranged from approximately 2.5 to 0.5 tons per acre in the first and seventh year respectively. Precipitation in these two years was 20.7 and 7.7 in. respectively. Rotational grazing did not increase beef production. Fertilization of bromegrass–alfalfa with 20 lb of N per acre and with 20 lb of N + 40 lb of P2O5 per acre resulted in average yearly increase of 18 and 32 lb of beef per acre respectively. Fertilization of intermediate wheatgrass– alfalfa resulted in comparable increase of 1 and 26 lb of beef per acre respectively.


1984 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 667-675 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. BELZILE

The effects of cultivars, date and rate of seeding on the yield and quality of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) seeded at the end of summer and harvested the year after was studied from 1971 to 1975 on a Kamouraska clay. Seeding in early August gave the best results; seeding should not be carried out after mid-August. Differences between cultivars were more important on the third than on the first cut. Aftergrowth was an important factor on yield during the first year of harvest. Seeding rate did not always affect the yield, but the 6,7 kg/ha rate yielded less than the 13,4 kg/ha rate at the first cut and when the cuts were summed. The combined effects of the three factors studied indicates the importance of the seeding date on the height, cover and yield of alfalfa. Digestibility and crude protein content of the dry matter were affected more by seeding dates than by cultivars. The effect of cultivars on quality was variable and seeding rates had no effect. The variation in forage quality may be attributed to a difference in maturity of the plant at harvest, rather than only to the factors studied.Key words: Medicago sativa L., cultivar, date, rate, yield, quality


1991 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 1029-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Bittman ◽  
J. Waddington ◽  
D. H. McCartney

This study was conducted to evaluate the yield and persistence of seven contrasting alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. sensu lato) strains growing in binary mixture with smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) under different fertilizer and cutting managements. The alfalfa strains were seeded in mixtures with smooth bromegrass in 1980 in northeast Saskatchewan and harvested each year, 1982 through 1987. Two fertilizer treatments (0 and 18 kg ha−1 P) and two cutting managements (2 and 3-4 cuts) were imposed annually. The application of P fertilizer increased the total yield (6-yr average) from 1.47 t ha−1 in control plots to 2.52 t ha−1 in the fertilized plots. Frequent cutting reduced average total yield from 2.59 t ha−1 (2-cut system) to 1.4 t ha−1. Fertility and cutting management did not affect the proportion of alfalfa or weeds in the harvested herbage. The alfalfa strain significantly affected total yield and the proportion of alfalfa and weeds throughout the years of this study. The strain ScMf3713, a M. sativa subsp. falcata (L.) Arcang. type, outyielded all entries during the last 3 yr of this study. The study suggests that alfalfa strains of the falcata subspecies germplasm showed superior long-term performance when the alfalfa was grown in a binary mixture with bromegrass. Key words: Medicago sativa L., falcata, Bromus inermis Leyss., phosphorus, simulated grazing


1995 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Moyer ◽  
D. E. Cole ◽  
D. C. Maurice ◽  
A. L. Darwent

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and bromegrass (Bromus spp.) were seeded with and without a companion crop and with and without herbicides at Westlock and Lethbridge, Alberta, to assess the effect of weed control, companion crop and the herbicide-by-companion crop interaction on forage establishment and subsequent yields. A companion crop reduced both alfalfa and bromegrass yields for at least 2 yr after establishment on a rain fed site at Westlock and for 1 yr after establishment on an irrigated site at Lethbridge. At both sites, weed yields were higher after establishment with a companion crop than after establishment without a companion crop. Unchecked weeds in the establishment year had less effect than a companion crop on subsequent forage yields. At both locations, weed biomass in the establishment year was less than that of the companion crop. The combined stress of a companion crop and 2,4-DB application had a detrimental effect on alfalfa yield for 3 yr after establishment at Lethbridge. Key words: Wheat, barley, wild oat, redroot pigweed, dandelion


1972 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 801-804 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. McELGUNN ◽  
D. H. HEINRICHS ◽  
R. ASHFORD

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), and a mixture of the two were grown on irrigated land and subjected to six defoliation schedules in which the initial cutting date varied in time. Delaying the initial defoliation until mid-June resulted in greatest seasonal yield even though the last cutting in this schedule was made in the 1st week of September, usually considered somewhat late for cutting in Saskatchewan. Nitrogen at the rate of 112 kg/ha doubled the yield of bromegrass but did not increase the yield of the alfalfa–bromegrass mixture, indicating that nitrogen fixation was adequate for the crop. Alfalfa and the alfalfa–bromegrass mixtures yielded about 50% more forage than the N-fertilized bromegrass and three times as much as unfertilized bromegrass. At the end of the experiment, dandelions (Taraxacum officinale Weber) had invaded pure stands of alfalfa but not mixed stands of alfalfa and bromegrass.


2012 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 1135 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Raeside ◽  
Z. N. Nie ◽  
S. G. Clark ◽  
D. L. Partington ◽  
R. Behrendt ◽  
...  

Bituminaria bituminosa (L.) C.H. Stirton, commonly known as tedera, is a perennial legume of interest in Australia due to its adaptation to Mediterranean environments. Field experiments were conducted at two sites in Victoria, Australia, a high rainfall site at Hamilton and a low rainfall site at Bealiba, to evaluate tedera var. albomarginata lines against other forage species. At Hamilton, tedera achieved similar seedling densities to lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) following sowings in late spring 2009 and early winter 2010 (30–60 seedlings/m2). Forage production from the spring-sown tedera was between 1.0 and 2.3 t DM/ha at harvests in March and May 2010, but from May onwards the species failed to remain productive and its content in the swards decreased to become <10%. Forage production from all early winter-sown tedera swards was low (<0.5 t DM/ha). At Bealiba, some of the tedera lines outyielded lucerne. The tedera at Bealiba had a vigour rating of 8.3, on a scale of 1–10, in the summer of 2008–09, after surviving three summers. The tedera lines evaluated are unlikely to persist in cold wet winter environments but in drier zones tedera may persist and offer good DM yields of high nutritive value.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document