variety

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Lazarev N.N. and Starodubtseva A.M.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
Productive longevity of different alfalfa varieties depends on soil fertility, weather conditions, intensity of use and disease incidence. The pasture-type alfalfa (Medicago varia Martyn.) variety Pastbischnaya 88 was tested for long-term persistence on well cultivated soils. In the 5th and 6th years of use 36-72 plants were left per 1 m2 and dry matter yields reached 5-7 Mg ha‑1. Thinning of the swards was recorded both after unfavourable winter conditions and due to the diseases in the summer period. By the 15-17th year of use the productivity of alfalfa-based swards declined to 2.8-3.12 Mg ha‑1. Being well provided with P and K on the sod-podzolic soil, alfalfa persisted in the mixtures with smooth brome even in its 18th year of use. Presence of 1-7 alfalfa plants per 1 m2 provided significantly higher yields than pure grass stands. Smooth brome is a good companion grass in alfalfa-grass mixtures for long-term twice-a-season use. This species considerably resisted dandelion invasions and did not suppress alfalfa. The key condition of smooth brome persistence in mixtures with other gramineous grasses is annual application of N90. Without mineral nitrogen fertilization the swards were invaded by wild grasses and dandelion, and the share of smooth brome decreased to 10-18%. On moderately rich soils serious thinning of alfalfa-timothy swards was already recorded in the 4th year after sowing. Their productivity declined to a level of 1.58-2.92 Mg ha‑1. Productivity of alfalfa-grass mixtures exceeded that of the single-species timothy crop by 1.8-2.0 times.

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Byrne N. , Berry D.P., Geoghegan A., Shalloo L., Gilliland T.J. and O’Donovan M.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
Increasing grass growth and utilisation on Irish dairy farms is shown to have a positive effect on farm profitability. This study was designed to establish the productivity of individual grass varieties under commercial conditions on-farms and compare this to their relative performance in recommended-list plot studies. The objective was to determine to what extent the plot tests are representative of on-farm performances. PastureBase Ireland (PBI) was established in Ireland as the national grassland database. 44 commercial dairy farms across different regions and soil types were selected to estimate grass yield using the PBI decision support tool. On these farms a number of grass varieties were sown as monocultures, each farm sowed the variety Tyrella (diploid ‘D’) (as a control), and a range of other varieties were also sown: AberGain (tetraploid ‘T’), Kintyre (T), AberChoice (D), Twymax (T), Drumbo (D), and Astonenergy (T). The range between the highest and lowest yielding varieties in the first full growing season was 1.6 Mg dry matter (DM) ha‑1, but the level of variability of the on-farm recordings meant that no significant differences were recorded. When the relationship between varieties under simulated grazing plots and on-farm evaluations was examined it was found that every additional Mg of DM ha‑1 in plot evaluations actually represented 0.64 Mg DM ha‑1 on-farm.

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Cernoch V. and Groenbaek O.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
Festulolium (× Festulolium) has been listed as a grass genus on the European list of Plant Varieties since 2004. DLF-Trifolium has made many trials with Festulolium varieties under different managements and climatic conditions across Europe. Results of these trials show the benefits of Festulolium and give a basis for recommendations on how to use varieties either as pure crops or in mixtures in various European regions.