Annual Grass Variety Trials 2001-2002

ANNUAL RYEGRASS VARIETY TEST
2001-2002 University of Maryland
Western Maryland Research & Education Center

Introduction

Annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) is a cool season annual bunchgrass native to Europe. In Maryland, a late summer seeding of annual ryegrass acts as a winter annual growing vigorously in the fall, going dormant over winter then growing vigorously again in April and May until going to seed in late May to early June. Italian ryegrass (Lolium perenne L. ssp. Multiflorum (Lam. Husnot) follows a similar growth pattern to annual ryegrass but retains some leaf growth while producing seed heads in the summer. It also has a tendency to persist for a second season acting like a short-lived perennial. Both species are very closely related to perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). Ryegrass species are widely distributed throughout the world providing forage to livestock in Europe, the Americas, Australia and New Zealand.

Annual ryegrass is an important short duration grass. Highly palatable and very digestible, this grass is valued in beef, dairy and other livestock forage systems to be utilized as pasture, haylage, green chop or dry hay. It is adaptable to many environments when fast cover or quick feed is required. It is this rapid growth of highly nutritious forage that has increased the use of annual ryegrass in the mid-Atlantic region from several hundred pounds of seed in 1996 to over 750,000 pounds of seed in 2002.

Many varieties of annual ryegrass are available. However, variety trial information is lacking for this region since the largest area of annual ryegrass production is from eastern Texas and Oklahoma eastward to the Atlantic Ocean.

Annual ryegrass demonstrations comparing varieties under both grazing and cut and carry systems on private farms and at the Western Maryland Research and Education Center (WMREC) have allowed the continuation of small plot variety trials. The objectives of this study are to:

measure annual ryegrass varietal response to intensive management
compare annual ryegrass growth characteristics and yields to small grains
test winter hardiness of annual ryegrass varieties

Methods

Nineteen annual and Italian ryegrass varieties and two small grains were planted by conventional tillage in 5'x14' plots using a plot seeder placing seed in 6" rows. Four replications per entry were seeded in a complete randomized design. Ryegrasses were seeded at a rate of 30 pounds per acre and small grains were seeded at 100 pounds per acre. The plots were seeded September 5, 2001. The plots seeded in September 2000 failed due to drought. Plots were harvested by using a 36-inch width cut, flail-type harvester powered by a John Deere 935 to simulate management intensive grazing. All plots received 50 pounds of N prior to seeding and March 15, April 29, and May 25 for a total of 200 pounds of N for the season.

Harvest dates in 2002 were April 15, April 26, May 10, May 23, June 4, and June 19. Wet weights were taken from each plot and sub-samples were placed in a paper bag, weighed and frozen until the samples could be processed. The frozen samples were dried at 160 o F for 72 hours, then weighed for dry matter determination.

Refer to Table 1 - 2002 Data
Refer to Table 2 - 2000 Data

Although these dry matter results focus on total yield in a three-month period, producers need to look carefully at the differences between the true annual type ryegrasses and the Italian-type varieties. If a farm's production needs require a fast, early growth to be planted to corn in May, perhaps a true annual ryegrass is the better choice. But if a producer needs to extend ryegrass growth into the early summer or even through the summer if seeded into alfalfa, then perhaps an Italian-type ryegrass is the better selection. The seedings to be made in September 2002 will be divided into two separate blocks. The first will be true annual ryegrasses and several small grains. The second will be only Italian-type ryegrasses to be maintained and harvested for two years.

Sponsoring Company	Entry	Entry	Entry	Entry
Barenbrug	Bartali	Ribeye
DLF-JENKS	Avance	Rustmaker	Shoot	Zorro
Southern States/SSS	Big Daddy
Wax Company	Jackson	Marshall	ME-94	WMN97
Smith Seed Service (SSS)	Jumbo	FLX 1999(GA)LR
Hytest	Rio
Southern States	Southern Star
Ampac	Abundant	Fantastic	Feast II	PP9

Acknowledgments

A number of people helped to make this year's annual ryegrass and small grain variety trials a success. The authors particularly would like to recognize the farm staff at the Western Maryland Research and Education Center for their assistance with land preparation, plot management, harvest and equipment maintenance. We would like to thank Jeff Semler and Terry Poole for all their help in the planting and harvesting of the plots. The contributions of Benny Erez at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center are also recognized for his assistance with the drier. The cooperation and support offered by the commercial seed companies in supplying seed and information about varieties are greatly acknowledged. Finally, a special note of acknowledgment to the graziers of the mid-Atlantic region for their insight and advice on grass production practices. If you would like more copies of this publication or have questions about the University of Maryland, Maryland Cooperative Extension, Evaluation of Forage Species and Cultivars Under Simulated Intensive Grazing Management in Western Maryland, please call or write:

Stanley W. Fultz
Extension Agent, Dairy Science
Maryland Cooperative Extension
Frederick County Office
330 Montevue Lane
Frederick, MD 21702
Phone: 301-694-1594 ext. 13578
sfultz@umd.edu
or
Jeff Semler
Extension Agent, AGNR
Maryland Cooperative Extension
Washington County Office
7303 Sharpsburg Pike
Boonsboro, MD 21713
Phone: 301-791-1304
Voice Mail #25
jsemler@umd.edu

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For more information, contact Jeff Semler

Last updated: 03/13/2009