Enhancing Winter Productivity of Annual Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) through Early Seeding and Supplemental Irrigation.

Low winter forage production represents a real problem for cattle producers as the utilization of stored feed and supplementation increases costs.  The objective of this research was to examine the combined and separate effects of early annual ryegrass seeding and irrigation on dry matter yield.

Four annual ryegrass cultivars were seeded from early September to mid-November 2008, in a factorial combination with early stand supplemental irrigation.  Plots were harvested whenever the average canopy height reached 20 cm.

Early seeding resulted in significant forage dry matter accumulation as early as mid-November.  For the fall and winter months, late seeding dates never reached the production of early seeding dates.  The Japanese cultivar Shiwasuaoba, with its early reproductive maturity, may be a good cultivar selection for circumstances when delayed planting is needed.  Supplemental irrigation resulted in significantly higher dry matter yield only for the second seeding date, which coincided with a period of zero precipitation.  This significant yield increase could still be seen in late March cumulative yields.  This study demonstrates that early seeding is a viable agronomic option to increase winter forage availability.

This study was continued in plots seeded from early September to mid-November 2009.  Data from these entries is currently being processed.