Ga. Jung et Ja. Shaffer, COMPONENT YIELDS AND QUALITY OF BINARY-MIXTURES OF LUCERNE AND PERENNIAL, ITALIAN OR SHORT-ROTATION HYBRID RYEGRASS, Grass and forage science, 48(2), 1993, pp. 118-125
Studies were conducted to characterize sward dynamics of lucerne (Medi
cago sativa L.) and perennial, Italian or short rotation hybrid ryegra
ss (Lolium perenne L. and L. multiflorum Lam.) binary mixtures under h
ay management. Lucerne/timothy (Phleum pratense L.) mixtures were incl
uded as controls. The study was conducted on two farms in central Penn
sylvania, USA on Hagerstown silt loams (fine, mixed, mesic hapludalf).
Total dry matter yield, grass yield and yield of digestible dry matte
r were higher for tetraploid perennial and tetraploid Italian ryegrass
mixtures than for timothy mixtures. Seasonal production differed for
the three kinds of ryegrass. Italian ryegrass dry matter yields were h
igher in cuts 2 and 3 than perennial ryegrass yields. Grass yields rep
resented 34%, 24% and 12% of total yields of the Italian, perennial or
short rotation, and timothy mixtures, respectively. However, herbage
in vitro dry matter digestibility of Italian was lower than that of pe
rennial ryegrass. The tetraploid perennial ryegrasses Grimalda and Rev
eille had high-ranking N concentrations more frequently than other cul
tivars, while Barvestra and Reveille tetraploid perennials and Bison s
hort rotation ryegrass had high-ranking dry matter digestibility value
s more frequently than the other cultivars. Perennial ryegrass cultiva
rs and Lipo tetraploid Italian ryegrass persisted well for 4 years and
produced higher yields with a lower weed content than timothy mixture
s. It is concluded that perennial ryegrasses and Lipo Italian ryegrass
should be recommended over timothy, as companion grasses with lucerne
.