Agronomy and Horticulture Department
Date of this Version
2009
Citation
The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. NF-FO-07-01 (etc.)
Abstract
Introduction
Livestock and forage production are the largest contributors to agricultural income in the primary service region of the Noble Foundation. The ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L) variety testing program is designed to provide up-to-date performance information to cooperators and producers in Oklahoma and Texas about ryegrass varieties that are commercially and commonly available. In addition, the program provides a tool to evaluate and compare experimental breeding lines emerging from the Noble Foundation breeding program as well as other public and private breeding programs. The program is intended to furnish producers with supplemental information, aid decision-making and idea formation. The information coming from the variety testing program should be a valuable tool when used with similar information from other sources. The objective of this report is to summarize forage yields from the 2008-2009 ryegrass variety trial.
Materials and Methods
The annual ryegrass variety trial was conducted on a Wilson silt loam soil at the Noble Foundation Headquarters Farm, Ardmore, Okla. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with three replications. The experimental unit was a 5- by 10-foot plot of a single variety. The trial consisted of 28 entries that were evaluated during the 2008-2009 crop growing season. Twelve sources contributed entries to the trial (Table 1). The entries were seeded into a clean-tilled seedbed on Sept. 24, 2008. Each entry was drilled in 5- by 10-foot plots, in 7-inch rows, with 25 lbs/ac (pure live seed) at a ½-inch planting depth with a HEGE 500 drill. Fertilization consisted of preplant incorporation of 120 lbs N/ac and 30 lbs P205/ac, 60 lbs K2O/ ac during September 2008, and a topdress application of 80 lbs N/acre on March 1, 2009. Broadleaved by Jagadeesh Mosali, J. Guretzky, M. Saha and S. Norton Agricultural Division 2510 Sam Noble Pkwy. Ardmore, OK 73401 Forage Yields from 2008-2009 Ryegrass Variety Trial weeds were controlled with an application of 2,4-D amine at a rate of one pt/ac during January 2009. Plots were harvested with a HEGE sickle bar forage plot harvester at a 3-inch height on April 21 and May 20, 2009. Data was analyzed with the general linear models procedure in SAS (Statistical Analysis Software, Cary, N.C.), and means were separated by the least significant difference (LSD) method (P ≤ 0.05).