Species Composition and Forage Quality of Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) - Grass Mixtures
Publication Date
1997
Description
This study compares yield, species composition, and forage quality of binary mixtures of two birdsfoot trefoil cultivars (‘Witt’ and ‘Dawn’) and six cool-season forage grasses. Stands were established by no-till seeding into glyphosate killed pasture sod in May and in August. Heavy autumn dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Weber) competition reduced trefoil survival in August seedings. The proportion of trefoil in the herbage varied widely but in spring-seeded seeding year stands it was always highest with Kentucky bluegrass (maximum of 740 g kg-1, first harvest, 1994) and usually lowest (107 g kg-1 or less) with perennial ryegrass, reed canarygrass, or orchardgrass. Seeding-year yields generally were maximized with trefoilreed canarygrass or trefoil-timothy combinations with the latter yielding 5410 kg ha-1 over three harvests in 1994. The trefoilbluegrass or trefoil-bromegrass combinations usually gave the best relative feed values (176 maximum) and crude protein concentrations (225 g kg-1 maximum) as determined by NIRS analysis. Lowest quality values varied among the other grasses and were influenced mainly by proportion of grass and maturity. There usually was no significant difference between the trefoil cultivars.
Citation
Greub, L J. and Undersander, D J., "Species Composition and Forage Quality of Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) - Grass Mixtures" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1997-2023). 43.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1997/session22/43
Included in
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Species Composition and Forage Quality of Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) - Grass Mixtures
This study compares yield, species composition, and forage quality of binary mixtures of two birdsfoot trefoil cultivars (‘Witt’ and ‘Dawn’) and six cool-season forage grasses. Stands were established by no-till seeding into glyphosate killed pasture sod in May and in August. Heavy autumn dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Weber) competition reduced trefoil survival in August seedings. The proportion of trefoil in the herbage varied widely but in spring-seeded seeding year stands it was always highest with Kentucky bluegrass (maximum of 740 g kg-1, first harvest, 1994) and usually lowest (107 g kg-1 or less) with perennial ryegrass, reed canarygrass, or orchardgrass. Seeding-year yields generally were maximized with trefoilreed canarygrass or trefoil-timothy combinations with the latter yielding 5410 kg ha-1 over three harvests in 1994. The trefoilbluegrass or trefoil-bromegrass combinations usually gave the best relative feed values (176 maximum) and crude protein concentrations (225 g kg-1 maximum) as determined by NIRS analysis. Lowest quality values varied among the other grasses and were influenced mainly by proportion of grass and maturity. There usually was no significant difference between the trefoil cultivars.
