Evaluation of Cool Season Annual Cover Crops As Alternative Forage.

Warm season perennial grass hay is insufficient in satisfying Louisiana’s livestock energy and protein demands over winter. Annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) has been commonly grown as annual winter forage in the southeastern region. Cultivation of cool-season cover crops may be an option for producing nutritious forage for winter feeding. Two field trials were arranged at the LSU AgCenter Benhur Research Station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to determine the potential of cover crops as an alternative forage utilization. Monoculture or binary combinations of rye (Secale cereal), tillage radish (Raphanus sativus), annual ryegrass, oats (Avena sativa), and triticale (Triticale hexaploide), were planted along with monocultures of crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa). The first harvest oats and the oats-radish combination produced the most biomass in early winter, while rye, triticale, and ryegrass produced more in the second cut. Radish produced approximately 86% of annual ryegrass biomass, indicating some biomass production potential. The two legumes produced the least forage due to slower growth than small grains in early spring.  Although the clover and hairy vetch biomasses are less than that of small grains, radish and the two legumes have potential due to high CP and high digestibility. Since oats demonstrated early growth and more balanced yield distribution beginning from late winter to mid-spring, forage oats were harvested at three distinctive growth stages, such as early boot, 50% flowering, and seed ripen stages to evaluate forage production and feed values. Chemical analyses and in vitro rumen digestion kinetics of these harvests were conducted.