1997-98 ForageYields from Ryegrass Varieties and Strains

by Jerry Baker

TABLE 1. RYEGRASS FORAGE PERFORMANCE, 1997-98 PASTURE DEMONSTRATION FARM, ARDMORE, OK
		Pounds/Acre of Oven-Dry Forage
		Clipping Dates
	Variety or Strain	12/18	2/2	Total thru 2/2	3/3	3/25	4/14	5/12	5/29	1997-98 Total	% Common Annual	% Forage Produced by 2/2
1.	Ribeye	1051	440	1491	1335	513	1038	1517	300	6194	122	24
2.	Big Daddy	997	522	1519	1259	523	1018	1321	276	5916	117	26
3.	Rio	902	373	1275	1213	449	944	1568	318	5767	114	22
4.	Tam 90	874	415	1289	1220	542	1011	1335	259	5656	112	23
5.	Marshall	753	119	872	1007	677	1195	1542	347	5640	111	16
6.	WVPB-AR-A9	535	259	794	1162	555	1221	1496	333	5561	110	14
7.	WVPB-AR-93-101	860	407	1267	1194	479	894	1374	262	5470	108	23
8.	Southern Star	1029	360	1389	1038	495	890	1339	278	5429	107	26
9.	Passerel	628	119	747	1032	616	1051	1608	353	5407	107	14
10.	NC/FLX 1997 (LRCT)	404	260	664	1141	490	1113	1568	388	5364	106	12
11.	FLX 1997 (SII) LR Select	509	340	849	1145	502	1114	1445	275	5330	105	16
12.	FL 1995 x 4N-LS	497	347	844	1177	598	1019	1306	302	5246	104	16
13.	Jackson	761	265	1026	1064	520	957	1339	315	5221	103	20
14.	TXR 95-6	578	406	984	1233	481	1000	1202	275	5175	102	19
15.	Matua rescue	665	33	698	479	420	1056	1982	532	5167	102	14
16.	Surrey	708	383	1092	1300	339	781	1402	247	5161	102	21
17.	DSV 417 prairie brome	481	27	508	440	419	1348	1934	499	5148	102	10
18.	Major	684	343	1027	1148	375	824	1513	260	5147	102	20
19.	FLX 1997 G (4N) Bulk	822	155	977	1071	520	914	1366	296	5144	102	19
20.	Common Annual	757	288	1045	1175	555	960	1065	263	5063	100	21
21.	Tetragold	552	371	923	1243	538	881	1154	323	5062	100	18
22.	T-444	769	350	1119	1088	494	863	1127	284	4975	98	23
23.	FL 1995 GxS	748	418	1166	1264	312	814	1152	264	4972	98	24
24.	TXR 95-5	410	216	626	1054	561	938	1459	297	4935	98	13
25.	Oklon rye	1568	611	2179	1322	310	647	435	0	4893	97	45
26.	Hercules	491	206	697	1054	511	818	1188	273	4541	90	15
27.	CAS-MM6	382	79	461	679	594	987	1138	267	4126	82	11
28.	833 oat	580	425	1005	1118	379	725	871	0	4098	81	25
29.	Jagger wheat	646	426	1072	1032	215	616	722	0	3657	72	29
	Average	705	302	1007	1084	483	959	1336	285	5154	102	20
	L.S.D. (.05)	311	220	480	268	78	210	407	80	921
	C.V. (%)	31.4	51.9	33.9	17.6	11.5	15.6	21.7	20.1	12.7
Planted: October 6, 1997. Seeding Rate: Ryegrass and bromegrass; 25 lb./acre. Small grains; 2,000,000 live seed/acre which approximates 90-120 lbs./acre, depending on variety and species. Seeding Method: Drilled in seven-inch rows; ryegrass planted at one-half inch and small grains at a one-inch depth. Replications: Four (4). Soil Type: Chickasha loam. Fertilization: Topdress: 80 lb. N/acre on October 17, 1997 and 50 lb. N/acre on February 3, 1998. Management: Disked and roller-harrowed. Clipping: Clipped with a rotary mower at a height of two and one-half to three inches to simulate rotational grazing. Winter Damage: No appreciable damage to any entries.

DISCUSSION
The 1997-98 ryegrass variety trial was conducted on the Pasture Demonstration Farm near Ardmore (Table 1). The test included 24 ryegrass varieties and/or strains, Matua rescuegrass, DSV 417 prairie bromegrass, Oklon rye, Jagger wheat and 833 oat. The small grains varieties were included to show producers how ryegrass forage distribution compares to other commonly grown cool-season annual grasses in this area. Fall planting was delayed by dry soil conditions during August and September. The season was characterized by mild temperatures and excessive soil moisture from December through March followed by extreme drought during April and May. Plant growth and development were excellent during the winter and early spring. However, forage production was reduced substantially during the late spring dry period.

Seven clippings were made during the season (Table 1). An average of 20% of the forage in the test was harvested by the February 2 clipping date. Oklon rye, Jagger wheat and 833 oat respectively produced 45, 29, and 25 percent of their forage by that date. Big Daddy and Ribeye produced the most early-season (first three clippings) forage of the ryegrasses while Matua and DSV 417 prairie brome produced the most late season (last two clippings) forage in the test. Note that the overall average production for the trial was 5,154 pounds of which 75% was harvested between February 2 and May 12.

Table 2 summarizes forage production of common entries over the last three years of testing. The average total production was about 20% lower this year than in the 1996-97 season. The last three years have been very representative of the variable environmental conditions that we experience from year to year in Oklahoma. Those varieties that rank consistently near the top each year are recommended to producers. Marshall, an "old" ryegrass variety, continues to consistently rank high in total forage production. Jackson, Tam 90, Rio and others generally produce earlier forage than Marshall, but have not been as consistent in overall production. Based on the last two years data, the variety Ribeye appears to be a promising "new" ryegrass for this area. Matua rescue led the trial in total forage in 1995-96 and 1996-97, however, yields were only average this season following a long, dry spring.

TABLE 2. RYEGRASS FORAGE PERFORMANCE SUMMARY, 1995-98 AT ARDMORE, OK
Variety or Strain		1995-96	1996-97	1997-98	2-Year Average¹	2-Year Average²	3-Year Average
1.	Ribeye	-	7249	6194	-	6722	-
2.	Matua rescue	6164	8014	5167	5656	6591	6448
3.	Passerel	-	7453	5407	-	6430	-
4.	Jackson	4427	7623	5221	4824	6422	5757
5.	Rio	4859	6628	5767	5313	6198	5751
6.	Marshall	5366	6710	5640	5503	6175	5905
7.	WVPB-AR-A9	4692	6753	5561	5127	6157	5669
8.	WVPR-AR-93-101	4723	6693	5470	5097	6082	5629
9.	Common Annual	4114	6881	5063	4589	5972	5353
10.	Tam 90	4283	6266	5656	4970	5961	5402
11.	Surrey	4375	6742	5161	4768	5952	5426
12.	TXR 95-6	-	5165	5175	-	5170	-
13.	Hercules	4365	5660	4541	4453	5101	4855
14.	Southern Star	4747	-	5429	5088	-	-
15.	Major	4109	-	5147	4628	-	-
	Average	4685	6757	5373	5001	6072	5620
	L.S.D. (.05)	631	1757	926
¹Average includes 1995-96 and 1997-98 seasons. ²Average includes 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons. Ryegrass is often used in mixtures with rye and other small grains. A strong caution should be made in wheat and other grain producing enterprises. Ryegrass can become a weed much like wild oats and cheat. It usually volunteers to a good stand and in many cases competes too much with wheat and other grain production.

INFLUENCING WEATHER FACTORS

Temperatures: Low temperature was 18°F on March 10 and 12, 1998. Temperatures were 20°F or lower on 3 dates as follows:
Date	Minimum Temperature
Dec. 13	20
Mar. 10	18
Mar. 12	18

Rainfall (inches):
Month	32-Year Average	1996-97 Season	1997-98 Season
September	4.30	6.94	1.45
October	4.12	2.66	4.12
November	2.45	4.64	2.22
December	2.04	0.10	5.38
January	1.53	0.25	4.83
February	2.03	4.58	1.44
March	3.27	0.37	5.94
April	3.66	5.78	1.84
May	5.57	6.07	0.26
Total	28.97	31.39	27.48