2011 Guide to Forage Cultivar Selection

Transcription

1 2011 Guide to Forage Cultivar Selection 2 Yrs ALFALFA Apica AC Caribou AC Brador , 11 Magnum IV V Magnum Valiant Ascend Magnum III STELLAR FG Guardsman II Q V Algonquin , 3 2 Yrs RED CLOVER Tempus AC Endure , 6 AC Charlie AC Christie , 6 BIRDSFOOT TREFOIL 2 Yrs Leo * Public Upstart * 5 Bull * 7 Empire * Public WHITE 2 Yrs CLOVER Sonja ,2,5 Sacramento (Ladino) Public Milkanova ,5

2 2 Yrs TIMOTHY Richmond E ,5,7 Champ EM Public AC Apex - M Alexander M Aurora M , 2 Climax M Public EXPRESS M Hokuo M Novio M , 6 Ovation M , 11 Itasca ML KARA ML , 11 Winnetou ML , 6 Comtal L Drummond L , 5 E = Early EM=Early medium M = Medium ML = Medium Late L = Late 2 Yrs BROMEGRASS Paddock , 7 Radisson Hikari * 1 Big Foot * 1 PEAK * 9 AC Rocket * 2, 11 2 Yrs ORCHARDGRASS Kay , 5 Arctic , 9 Baridana Persist , 6 Crown Royale , 6 REED CANARYGRASS 2 Yrs Chieftain Marathon Venture , 2 Palaton

3 2 Yrs TALL FESCUE Courtenay , 9 Kokanee , 6 Kora , 6 MEADOW FESCUE Pardel Kolumbus , 6 GRAZING KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS Lato PERENNIAL RYEGRASS Bastion , 2, 5 ANNUAL RYEGRASS Type % relative to Lemtal Ajax Tetraploid Italian 108 5, 7 Aubade Tetraploid Westerwolds 114 1,2,10 Barextra Tetraploid Italian Barmultra Tetraploid Italian Barspectra Tetraploid Westerwolds Bartolini Diploid Italian 99 1 Fabio Diploid Italian 114 2, 6 Lemtal Diploid Italian 100 1, 2 Max Tetraploid Italian Sabroso Tetraploid Westerwolds SW Botrus Tetraploid Westerwolds 110 4, 9 FORAGE SEED SUPPLIERS Company Contact Phone Fax 1 Bishop/Speare Seeds Bob Dippel Co-op Atlantic Rafael Gonzalez Halifax Seed Co. Tim Tregunno McCardle Bros. Leonard McCardle MAPLESEED Gerrit Van Keulan Parsons Seeds Ltd. Robert Thom PICKSEED Canada Inc. Paul Wight Pioneer Hi-Bred Ltd. Jim Lamb Quality Seeds Ltd. Doug Baker Seed Link Peter Bonis Semican Jacques Beauchesne Acknowledgments Thanks to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Charlottetown; Nova Scotia Agricultural College; Nova Scotia Crop Development Institute; AgraPoint; Soil and Crop Improvement Association of Nova Scotia; New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Fisheries; and New Brunswick Soil and Crop Improvement Association, for their contributions to this publication.

4 FORAGE MIXTURES These mixtures are designed with careful consideration to the specific attributes of each species. Close attention should be paid to fertility levels, stocking rates, rotational grazing practices and fall management, if the following mixtures are to remain productive. PERENNIAL PASTURE MIXES Moderately well drained to variable soils 10%White Clover Good dual purpose mixture for early cut silage and rotational grazing. Meadow fescue helps 30% Orchardgrass give a better bottom to the pasture, producing a tighter sod, more resistant to punching. 60% Meadow Fescue Rate kg/ha % White Clover 40% Orchardgrass 50% Perennial Ryegrass Rate kg/ha % White clover 60% Meadow Fescue Palatable mixture, but must be managed well, if under utilized will become stemmy. Both perennial ryegrass and orchardgrass lack winter hardiness, plant only where appropriate. Timothy, though less productive than orchardgrass, is more winter hardy, especially on imperfectly drained soils. Some timothy cultivars are more productive under grazing trials than others (e.g. Comtal timothy). HAYLAGE MIXTURES A. Soils with good surface and internal drainage 80% Alfalfa This high yielding, high quality mixture is suited to well drained soils with a minimum 20% Timothy ph of 6. Having a grass in the mix improves dry down and reduces frost heaving. 60% Alfalfa 40% Orchardgrass Rate kg/ha % Alfalfa 45% Bromegrass Orchardgrass is less compatible with alfalfa than timothy, but has superior regrowth and is better suited to a three cut system. Harvest early to maximize quality. This mixture should be used on well drained fields and with an early alfalfa. Bromegrass is very compatible with alfalfa. Timothy works well with this mixture.

5 Haylage s continued B. Variable to imperfectly drained soils 30% Alfalfa Use on fields containing soils with variable drainage. This mixture does well in an 40% Bromegrass aggressive 2-3 cut system, starting with an early June harvest. Rate kg/ha % Red Clover 40% Timothy Rate kg/ha % Red Clover 10% Ladino 40% Timothy 20% Meadow Fescue Best suited for short rotations. Contains a high percentage of red clover in the first two production years as the red clover thins out, both yield and quality decline. The addition of ladino clover and meadow fescue improves the reliability and the longevity of this mixture, but can become too competitive on timothy. HAYLAGE/HAYLAGE MIXTURES A. Moderate to Well Drained Soils 65% Alfalfa Although alfalfa is not as difficult to wilt as red clover, a hay drier will allow baling at a higher moisture, improving leaf retention. 50% Alfalfa 50% Bromegrass 70% Orchardgrass Rate kg/ha % Bromegrass Rate kg/ha Select an early alfalfa. Bromegrass is very compatible with alfalfa and can be superior Bromegrass to timothy in quality and regrowth. Three cuts are possible. Heads out in late May/early June; therefore, plan to use first growth for pasture or haylage. Use very early timothy cultivars. This mixture is well adapted to deeper droughty soils. Due to early maturity, plan to take first cut as haylage. Use early timothy cultivars. B. Poor and Imperfectly Drained Soils 85% Timothy Red clover is difficult to field cure. Red clover is a short lived perennial which 15% Red Clover Rate kg/ha 8-10 usually doesn=t produce longer than three years. Avoid excessive red clover in mixtures. Timothy Rate kg/ha % Reed Canarygrass Rate kg/ha % Birdsfoot Trefoil Consider just timothy for farms without hay driers and/or in coastal areas that have difficult drying conditions. Select cultivars with varying maturities to spread out harvest. Low alkaloid varieties of Canarygrass can be used on poorly drained fields which are subjected to periodic flooding. Quality and palatability drop rapidly following heading. Trefoil is difficult to get established properly. Trefoil can handle lower fertility situations, but needs 50% bloom before harvest. Trefoil will not persist under frequent cutting.