source: Farm and Food Report
In agronomy, as in anything else, often you just don’t know until you try.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Dr. Alan Iwaasa and his colleagues wanted to evaluate the feasibility of using perennial cereal (PC) rye and spring planted spring and winter triticale intercrop as a way to improve pasture yields, distribution and animal performance, and to extend the grazing season compared to Russian wildrye.
They also wanted to evaluate the influence that agronomic practices, such as grazing and haying, have on forage production, persistence and economic returns.
“In the South West, we struggle with issues of winter hardiness and stand persistence,” Dr. Iwaasa says. “Perennial cereal rye has been developed as a forage crop, with the hope that it could be grazed for three to four years before it had to be reseeded and become the variety that would allow cattle producers to get that much more growth out of their pastures.”
The real question was: how would it hold up to local growing conditions? Dr. Iwassa’s study was conducted on six pastures at the Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre (SPARC) near Swift Current.
“The study took place between 2001 and 2004. It turned out to be quite a challenge. We had a drought in 2001. We also had a wet year. In the end, results showed that PC rye’s ability to establish itself on dryland conditions and survive over winter in southwest Saskatchewan is very dependent upon seeding date. We just don’t get that great a snow cover in this part of the province.”
Planting PC rye in mid-August or early September may ensure maximum winter hardiness, while planting in mid-July may significantly lower winter hardiness.
The fact remains that agronomic and economic results do not support the use of PC rye as an alternative pasture source in place of annual cereal or perennial grass production systems in southwestern Saskatchewan.
“Now we know. The unfortunate thing is that we did not have that information before. We had to go through the research process. We now move to other aspects. With the inability of PC rye to consistently provide three to four years of production and the uncertainty with its ability to handle grazing stresses, there is the need for further evaluation and research before this forage crop can be recommended for use in southwest Saskatchewan in place of other forage sources.”
For more information, contact:
Dr. Alan Iwaasa
Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre (SPARC)
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
(306) 778-7251
In agronomy, as in anything else, often you just don’t know until you try.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Dr. Alan Iwaasa and his colleagues wanted to evaluate the feasibility of using perennial cereal (PC) rye and spring planted spring and winter triticale intercrop as a way to improve pasture yields, distribution and animal performance, and to extend the grazing season compared to Russian wildrye.
They also wanted to evaluate the influence that agronomic practices, such as grazing and haying, have on forage production, persistence and economic returns.
“In the South West, we struggle with issues of winter hardiness and stand persistence,” Dr. Iwaasa says. “Perennial cereal rye has been developed as a forage crop, with the hope that it could be grazed for three to four years before it had to be reseeded and become the variety that would allow cattle producers to get that much more growth out of their pastures.”
The real question was: how would it hold up to local growing conditions? Dr. Iwassa’s study was conducted on six pastures at the Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre (SPARC) near Swift Current.
“The study took place between 2001 and 2004. It turned out to be quite a challenge. We had a drought in 2001. We also had a wet year. In the end, results showed that PC rye’s ability to establish itself on dryland conditions and survive over winter in southwest Saskatchewan is very dependent upon seeding date. We just don’t get that great a snow cover in this part of the province.”
Planting PC rye in mid-August or early September may ensure maximum winter hardiness, while planting in mid-July may significantly lower winter hardiness.
The fact remains that agronomic and economic results do not support the use of PC rye as an alternative pasture source in place of annual cereal or perennial grass production systems in southwestern Saskatchewan.
“Now we know. The unfortunate thing is that we did not have that information before. We had to go through the research process. We now move to other aspects. With the inability of PC rye to consistently provide three to four years of production and the uncertainty with its ability to handle grazing stresses, there is the need for further evaluation and research before this forage crop can be recommended for use in southwest Saskatchewan in place of other forage sources.”
For more information, contact:
Dr. Alan Iwaasa
Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre (SPARC)
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
(306) 778-7251
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