Compositional changes over four years for binary mixtures of grass species grown with white clover

2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. McKenzie ◽  
Y. A. Papadopoulos ◽  
K. B. McRae ◽  
E. Butt

Kentucky bluegrass, meadow fescue, orchardgrass, tall fescue, timothy, and reed canarygrass were seeded in all possible two-grass combinations with white clover in conventional and underseeded barley treatments using a split-plot design at the Western Agriculture Centre near Pynn’s Brook, NL. The objectives were: (1) to assess dry matter yield (DMY) of two binary grass species when sown with white clover in mixtures under a system with cuttings at similar crop growth stages as rotational grazing and to assess the effect of underseeding to barley on this system; (2) to identify mixtures that enhance herbage distribution throughout the grazing season; and (3) to assess the sward dynamics over successive cropping seasons. The composition of the binary grass mixtures with white clover affected seasonal DMY, seasonal herbage distribution, and sward dynamics over the production years. Orchardgrass in mixtures decreased DMY, shifted the herbage distribution toward early season, and competed with other species. Timothy composition of the stand showed the largest decline over the 3 production years, whereas white clover declined in mixtures with bluegrass, orchardgrass, or tall fescue. Meadow fescue and reed canarygrass with white clover was the most productive mixture with excellent persistence and good yield distribution over the growing season. Orchardgrass was the least compatible species in the mixtures; it dominated first growth and contributed the least to biomass production in later years. Both bluegrass and reed canarygrass performed well in mixtures over the 3 production years; bluegrass appeared to enhance the performance of the other species during summer regrowth whereas reed canarygrass was superior in the later part of the growing season. Underseeding with barley did not affect white clover yield in any production year but detrimentally affected the yield of orchardgrass and meadow fescue in mixtures, and their seasonal distribution. Key words: Bluegrass, orchardgrass, meadow fescue, tall fescue, timothy, reed canarygrass, repeated measurements, principal component analysis, herbage DM distribution, species competition

2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
pp. 1199-1205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. A. Papadopoulos ◽  
M. S. McElroy ◽  
S. A. E. Fillmore ◽  
K. B. McRae ◽  
J. L. Duyinsveld ◽  
...  

Papadopoulos, Y. A., McElroy, M. S., Fillmore, S. A. E., McRae, K. B., Duyinsveld, J. L. and Fredeen, A. H. 2012. Sward complexity and grass species composition affects the performance of grass-white clover pasture mixtures. Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 1199–1205. The productivity of managed permanent pastures is closely associated with the species composition of seeded mixtures. Ecological theory suggests that increasing plant species' diversity will result in higher productivity, resilience, and resistance to invasive species. To better understand the relationship between sward species composition and pasture productivity, mixtures of four common pasture grass species, timothy (Phleum pratense L.), Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.), and meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis L.), were seeded in 2004 in binary (two-grass), tertiary (three-grass), and quaternary (four-grass) combinations with white clover (Trifolium repens L.). Plots were rotationally grazed for 5 yr, with yield determined in the first post-establishment year (2005) and in 3 subsequent production years (2007, 2008, and 2009). Mean dry matter yield (DMY) increased appreciably from post-establishment (3801 kg ha−1) to the production years (6613 kg ha−1). Contrasts revealed significantly higher DMY production in quaternary mixtures versus less complex plots in production years. Repeated measure analysis found significant quadratic trends in DMY for plots containing bluegrass and timothy, showing different patterns of growth between the respective mixtures. Principal component analysis (PCA) of averaged yields over the production years revealed a strong association between seeded grass growth and DMY. This relationship between DMY and seeded grass growth was strongest in swards containing a combination of timothy and bluegrass. In general, the growth of unseeded grasses and forbs increased in mixtures with large proportions of timothy and reed canarygrass. In spite of the fact that mixtures containing timothy and bluegrass were shown to produce high DMY, it appears the aggressiveness of bluegrass suppressed the yield potential of timothy. White clover yields and unseeded grasses/forbs were both significantly lower in mixtures containing bluegrass. Also, the PCA revealed a favourable compatibility between meadow fescue and white clover growth, while bluegrass appears to suppress meadow fescue growth. Results show that species complexity increases sward productivity over the long term, and that the presence of two grass species, in particular (timothy and bluegrass), has considerable influence on DMY.


1986 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 601-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. E. GUDLEIFSSON ◽  
C. J. ANDREWS ◽  
H. BJORNSSON

A number of forage grass species were tested for cold hardiness and ice tolerance after growth and cold hardening under controlled conditions. Tests exposing cold-hardened plants to a single level of stress separated species into statistically similar groups but, in a number of cases, the stress was not sufficient to kill plants so the true cultivar rankings were obscured. Derivation of the 50% kill point from a wide range of levels of stress served to identify cold hardiness and ice tolerance levels of cultivars of 10 species. Ranked according to the most hardy cultivar of the species tested were: timothy (Phleum pratense L.), Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis L.), red fescue (Festuca rubra L.), meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis L.), tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa L.), creeping foxtail (Alopecurus arundinaceus L.), berings hairgrass (Deschampsia beringensis L.), orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinaceae). LT50 values varied from −15.7 °C for timothy to −4.7 °C for reed canarygrass. Cold hardiness and ice tolerance were only loosely associated (r = 0.36). The most ice-tolerant species were berings and tufted hairgrasses and timothy with LI50 values of 50, 39 and 44 d, respectively.Key words: Acclimation, encasement, freezing, resistance


2020 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-356
Author(s):  
Gilles Bélanger ◽  
Gaëtan F. Tremblay ◽  
Yousef A. Papadopoulos ◽  
John Duynisveld ◽  
Julie Lajeunesse ◽  
...  

Complex pasture mixtures are advantageous, but little information exists on the best forage species and nitrogen (N) management in eastern Canada. We compared under mob stocking four complex mixtures of one of two legume species [alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.)] plus one of two grass mixes [No. 1 — timothy (Phleum pratense L.), meadow fescue (Schedonorus pratensis (Huds.) P. Beauv.), reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.), and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.); No. 2 — tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort., nom. cons.), meadow bromegrass (Bromus biebersteinii Roem. and Schult.), reed canarygrass, and Kentucky bluegrass] under three N application rates at three sites over the first three post-seeding years. Legume species had little effect on most forage attributes mainly because of their low contribution to forage dry matter (DM) yield (<30%) in second and third years. The grass mix with tall fescue and meadow bromegrass (No. 2) yielded similar or slightly better than the one with timothy and meadow fescue (No. 1) but tended to have a greater neutral detergent fibre concentration, and lower N and total digestible nutrient concentrations. Nitrogen fertilization increased forage DM yield only in second and third years when the legume contribution to forage DM yield was <30%, and it increased N concentration and decreased nonstructural carbohydrate concentration. These results highlight the challenge of maintaining legume species in rotationally grazed pastures of eastern Canada and confirm recommendations of applying no or little N fertilizer on grazed legume–grass mixtures when the legume contribution to forage DM yield is >30%.


Author(s):  
T.L. Knight ◽  
R.A. Moss ◽  
T.J. Fraser ◽  
J.S. Rowarth ◽  
R.N. Burton

Increasing resistance of gastro-intestinal nematode parasites to anthelmintics and consumer resistance to the possibility of residues in animal products have prompted research on the effect of pasture species on nematodes and animal performance. Lambs (either infected with high rates of gastrointestinal nematodes or maintained nematode-free) were grazed on pure swards of chicory, high- or low-endophyte ryegrass, cocksfoot, tall fescue, lucerne, lotus, white clover or plantain. Infected lambs that grazed chicory had lower faecal egg counts and adult nematode populations, and higher carcass weights, than lambs grazed on plantain or the grass species; lambs that grazed legumes generally had intermediate counts, populations and weights. When kept parasite-free, carcass weights were up to 48% greater than in the nematodeinfected treatments. On farmlets run over 3 years, substituting 30% of the ryegrass area with lucerne or replacing the ryegrass with a multi-species mix consisting predominantly of bromes, tall fescue, phalaris, timothy and red and white clover, had no effect on gastrointestinal nematode larvae, lamb faecal worm egg or adult nematode numbers. It is concluded that a diet of pure chicory affects internal parasite populations but the small proportion included in the farmlet studies had no effect. Keywords: Cichorium intybus, Dactylis glomerota, Festuca arundinacea, gastro-intestinal nematodes, lambs, Lolium perenne, Lotus corniculatus, Medicago sativa, pasture species, Plantago lanceolata, Trifolium repens


1990 ◽  
Vol 115 (4) ◽  
pp. 608-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Johnson-Cicalese ◽  
C.R. Funk

Studies were conducted on the host plants of four billbug species (Coleoptera:Curculionidae: Sphenophorus parvulus Gyllenhal, S. venatus Chitt., S. inaequalis Say, and S. minimus Hart) found on New Jersey turfgrasses. A collection of 4803 adults from pure stands of various turfgrasses revealed all four billbugs on Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), and S. parvulus, S. venatus, and S. minimus on Chewings fescue (F. rubra L. ssp. commutata Gaud.). Since the presence of larvae, pupae, or teneral adults more accurately indicates the host status of a grass species, immature billbugs were collected from plugs of the various grass species and reared to adults for identification. All four species were reared from immature billbugs found in Kentucky bluegrass turf; immatures of S. venatus, S. inaequalis, and S. minimus were found in tall fescue; S. venatus and S. minimus in perennial ryegrass; and S. inaequalis in strong creeping red fescue (F. rubra L. ssp. rubra). A laboratory experiment was also conducted in which billbug adults were confined in petri dishes with either Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, or bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon Pers.). Only minor differences were found between the four grasses in billbug survival, number of eggs laid, and amount of feeding. In general, bermudagrass was the least favored host and the other grasses were equally adequate hosts. The results of this study indicate a need for updating host-plant lists of these four billbug species.


Weed Science ◽  
1968 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Hodgson

From 1962 to 1967, we evaluated herbicides for control of natural infestations of reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) on canal banks of the Huntley, Montana irrigation project. Two,2-dichloropropionic acid (dalapon) and 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole ammonium thiocyanate (hereinafter referred to as amitrole-T) controlled reed canarygrass. These herbicides were compared with a number of others. Spring foliage treatments with a combination of amitrole-T at 2 1b/A and dalapon or trichloroacetic acid (TCA) at 5 or 10 1b/A were more effective than amitrole-T at 4 1b/A. Amitrole-T was more tolerant to fine grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) or redtop (Agrostis alba L.) than dalapon and in some situations it was more desirable than dalapon. Dalapon and TCA were more effective as late fall or early winter treatments to control reed canarygrass during the following growing season. Rates of 20 or 40 1b/A controlled the grass for one season even at the water's edge where it is usually more persistent. At 5 to 10 1b/A, 2,3,5-trichloro-4-pyridinol (pyriclor) controlled reed canarygrass, and it also was effective at 2 1b/A with 2 1b/A of amitrole-T.


1962 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Henderson ◽  
R. S. Edwards ◽  
J. L. Hammerton

1. Data on the crude-protein content and crudeprotein production of five grass species (each sown with white clover) over the period 1954–56, at six levels of compound fertilizer application, are reported. Perennial rye-grass (S. 101), meadow fescue (S. 215), timothy (S. 48), cocksfoot (S. 26) and bent (N.Z. Browntop) were sown in 1953 at appropriate seed rates, each with 2 lb./acre S. 100 white clover. The fertilizer treatments were 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 cwt./ acre of a compound of composition 10% N, 4%P2O5, 9·5% K2O applied in the early spring of each of the years 1954–56. The swards were cut three times a year in 1954 and 1956, but only two cuts were possible in 1955.2. Bent mixtures had a higher crude-protein content than any other mixture in all years and (with one exception) at every cut within years. Differences between other mixtures were smaller and often erratic, though timothy invariably had the lowest crude-protein content at the second cut and cocksfoot at the third. Application of the fertilizer raised the crude-protein level of the herbage at the first cut, but depressed it in subsequent cuts.3. The bent mixture gave the highest yield of crude-protein per acre followed by the timothy mixture, while the lowest yield was produced by the perennial rye-grass mixture. The bent mixture differed from all others in its distribution of crudeprotein production over the season, producing less at the first cuts and more at the second and third cuts. This reflects its pattern of production of dry-matter. Response to spring application of fertilizer in terms of crude-protein yield declined rapidly from cut to cut. Over the whole period of the experiment 1 cwt./acre/ annum of fertilizer containing 10% N gave a response of about 0·5 cwt. crude-protein/annum.


2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 747-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. A. Lardner ◽  
S. B. M. Wright ◽  
R. D. H. Cohen

Grazing by herbivores affects grass species both morphologically and physiologically. A study was conducted on an irrigated pasture near Outlook, Saskatchewan, Canada during the summer of 1991 to determine leaf regrowth after grazing of reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.), slender wheatgrass [Elymus trachycaulus (Link) Gould ex Shinners subsp. trachycaulus], intermediate wheatgrass [Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkw. & D.R. Dewey subsp. intermedium], orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), meadow bromegrass (Bromus beibersteinii Roem. & Schult.), smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), tall fescue [Festuca arundinacea (Schreb.) Wimm.] and timothy (Phleum pratense L.) in order to evaluate the suitability of these species for grazing. All eight species were mob-grazed by sheep at a stocking density of 30 animals ha-1. Physiological stage of leaf development was determined at 7, 14 and 21 d following defoliation. Smooth bromegrass and timothy consistently produced the greatest number of leaves for all regrowth periods. Tall fescue produced the least number of leaves at all time periods. Fifty-five percent of slender wheatgrass tillers and 19% of intermediate wheatgrass tillers were reproductive 21 d after defoliation. Based on leaf regrowth after grazing measured by leaf appearance, the grasses were ranked into three groupings – meadow bromegrass, smooth bromegrass and reed canarygrass ranked highest; intermediate wheatgrass, slender wheatgrass and orchardgrass ranked intermediate; and timothy and tall fescue ranked lowest. Key words: Leaf, regrowth, grass, grazing


Author(s):  
R.A. Moss ◽  
R.N. Burton ◽  
B.E. Allan

Grasslands Kara cocksfoot, Grasslands Nui ryegrass, Grasslands Roa tall fescue, Grasslands Gala grazing brome and Grasslands Maru phalaris were sown as single grass species with either white or Caucasian clover during December 1993, on a Lismore stony silt loam in Canterbury. Plots were irrigated and rotationally grazed by sheep. Total herbage produced during the first measurement period (September 1994 to July 1995) averaged 13.6 t DM/ha. All white clover-based swards produced similar yields, but with Caucasian clover, phalaris-based swards produced the most and ryegrass and grazing brome the least. Production tended to be lower from pastures sown with Caucasian than white clover (12.9 cf. 14.2,kg DM/ha). During the second measurement period (July 1995 to May 1996) total production was similar with both legumes. When evaluated over both measurement periods, phalaris and tall fescue gave the highest and cocksfoot and ryegrass the lowest production when sown with white clover, while cocksfoot and grazing brome were the lowestproducing swards with Caucasian clover. Ten --months-after-sow.ing,-white-cIover-contributed-in excess of40% of the DM in all swards except with ryegrass and grazing brome where it contributed 20%. The proportion of white clover then declined in all pastures over the following 20 months, ryegrass-based swards having the highest (10%) and cocksfoot the lowest (1%). When sown with Caucasian clover the legume content of swards increased during the 12 months from spring 1994 in swards containing phalaris, tall fescue and grazing brome. The proportion of legume in -cocksfoot swardsmdeclined-continuously from 22 to 4% over the 20 months while it increased continuously from 4 to 28% with ryegrass. The legume content in lo-month-old pastures was higher when sown with white than with Caucasian clover but this ratio was reversed by 28 months. This occurred with all pasture types but was most pronounced with ryegrass and cocksfoot pastures. The present experiment shows Caucasian clover can make a major contribution in irrigated pastures in Canterbury. 'Wattie Bush, RD 22, Peel Forest, Geruldine Keywords: Bromus stamineus, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca arundinacea, grazed pastures, herbage production, Lolium perenne, Phalaris aquatica, Trifolium ambiguum, Trifolium repens


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