Establishment of irrigated Timothy for forage production in Saskatchewan

Irrigated timothy (Phleum pratense L.) hay from Saskatchewan could fill exp ort demand for compressed hay, but basic agronomic information is lacking u nder Saskatchewan conditions, The objective of this research was to compare the establishment of irrigated timothy seedlings under wheat (Triticum aes tivum L,), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and Italian ryegrass (Lolium multif lorum Lam,) companion crops at two seeding rates, The ryegrass companion cr op reduced timothy ground cover and tiller density in the year after establ ishment, with a greater reduction in ground cover at 10 kg ha(-1) compared with a seeding rate of 5 kg ha(-1) for the ryegrass, The ryegrass companion crop reduced timothy first harvest and total annual dry matter (DM) produc tion for forage by 41% compared with the control (no companion crop) while timothy that nas established with cereal companion crops did not differ fro m the control, Irrigated forage producers should not use annual ryegrass as a companion crop for irrigated timothy establishment in Saskatchewan.