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Publication Date
1981
Description
Meat and dairy products command overriding importance in the Irish agricultural economy. They are derived primarily from Irish grasslands, which occupy 89% of the arable land area. Use of improved grass cultivars is probably the best means of increasing grassland output once the basics, optimal fertilizer use, and high stocking rates have been met. Objective identification of superior cultivars is the responsibility of state agencies. A recommended list, published annually in Ireland, presently contains 47 ryegrass (Lolium perenne) cultivars. There is some doubt, however, that results from small-plot cutting trials can be extrapolated to equivalent performance by grazing animals. Hence, it is desirable to evaluate some of the more promising grass cultivars using animal-production parameters. The objective of this research has been to evaluate six ryegrass cultivars in terms of their carrying capacity and persistence as grazed herbage and conserved winter feed. A simple linear model for the gain-stocking rate relationship was used wherein extra carrying capacity (i.e., the increased number of animals carried at a given level of performance) is regarded as a reflection of extra forage produced. High-yielding cultivars were selected on the basis of heading date and ploidy. These were sown in monoculture and grazed by young steers stocked at moderate to high stocking rates over 3 years. Conserved herbage was fed to groups of heavier steers overwintering on slatted-floor accommodation. Animal live-weight or carcass gains were compared, and cultivar persistence was monitored annually via botanical analysis. Results indicated superiority in carrying capacity and persistence of cv. Vigor over the control S24. A hybrid, Sabrina, showed inferior carrying capacity and persistence as grazed herbage but performed better when fed as silage. There was a striking contrast in seasonality of growth between S24 and Vigor as shown by the animal-performance data. Differences among cultivars were small in the silage-feeding experiment. The performance of Vigor shows that this type oflate-heading, persistent cultivar can be recommended to growers looking for long-term leys with good midseason production. Tetraploid hybrids (perennial-Italian) may produce well in the short term under conservation management, but they are not suitable for intensively stocked grazing-management systems.
Citation
Ryan, M, "A Comparative Evaluation of Six Ryegrass Cultivars Under Grazing and Conservation Managements" (1981). IGC Proceedings (1977-2023). 26.
(URL: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1981/section9/26)
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A Comparative Evaluation of Six Ryegrass Cultivars Under Grazing and Conservation Managements
Meat and dairy products command overriding importance in the Irish agricultural economy. They are derived primarily from Irish grasslands, which occupy 89% of the arable land area. Use of improved grass cultivars is probably the best means of increasing grassland output once the basics, optimal fertilizer use, and high stocking rates have been met. Objective identification of superior cultivars is the responsibility of state agencies. A recommended list, published annually in Ireland, presently contains 47 ryegrass (Lolium perenne) cultivars. There is some doubt, however, that results from small-plot cutting trials can be extrapolated to equivalent performance by grazing animals. Hence, it is desirable to evaluate some of the more promising grass cultivars using animal-production parameters. The objective of this research has been to evaluate six ryegrass cultivars in terms of their carrying capacity and persistence as grazed herbage and conserved winter feed. A simple linear model for the gain-stocking rate relationship was used wherein extra carrying capacity (i.e., the increased number of animals carried at a given level of performance) is regarded as a reflection of extra forage produced. High-yielding cultivars were selected on the basis of heading date and ploidy. These were sown in monoculture and grazed by young steers stocked at moderate to high stocking rates over 3 years. Conserved herbage was fed to groups of heavier steers overwintering on slatted-floor accommodation. Animal live-weight or carcass gains were compared, and cultivar persistence was monitored annually via botanical analysis. Results indicated superiority in carrying capacity and persistence of cv. Vigor over the control S24. A hybrid, Sabrina, showed inferior carrying capacity and persistence as grazed herbage but performed better when fed as silage. There was a striking contrast in seasonality of growth between S24 and Vigor as shown by the animal-performance data. Differences among cultivars were small in the silage-feeding experiment. The performance of Vigor shows that this type oflate-heading, persistent cultivar can be recommended to growers looking for long-term leys with good midseason production. Tetraploid hybrids (perennial-Italian) may produce well in the short term under conservation management, but they are not suitable for intensively stocked grazing-management systems.
