Agronomy and Horticulture Department
Date of this Version
2007
Citation
The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. NF-FO-07-01 (etc.)
Abstract
Introduction:
In an effort to assist livestock producers in Oklahoma and Texas judge variety performance, the Noble Foundation has held trials to determine forage yields of commercially available varieties and experimental strains of annual ryegrass. The objective of this report is to summarize forage yields from the 2006-2007 trial.
Materials and Methods
The test was conducted on a Wilson silt loam soil at the Noble Foundation Headquarters Farm near Ardmore, Okla. The trial consisted of 37 entries; 28 were commercially available varieties and nine were experimental strains. Twelve sources contributed entries to the trial (Table 1). The entries were seeded in a clean-tilled seedbed on Sept. 26, 2006. Each entry was drilled in 5- by 15-foot plots, in 7-inch rows, at 25 lbs/ac (pure live seed basis) at a ½-inch planting depth with a HEGE 500 drill. Fertilization consisted of preplant incorporation of 120 lbs N/ac and 23 lbs P205/ac on Sept. 19, 2006, and a topdress application of 80 lbs N/acre on March 1, 2007. Broadleaved weeds were controlled with an application of 2,4-D amine at one pt/ac on Jan. 29, 2007. Plots were harvested with a HEGE sickle bar forage plot harvester at a 3-inch height on Feb. 23, March 26, April 9 and May 14, 2007. The trial was a randomized complete block with three replications. Data were 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).
Results and Discussion
Growing conditions were good for the trial. After a slow start following severe drought in the spring and summer of 2006, precipitation from October 2006 through April 2007 was near the 106-year average for Ardmore (Table 2). Rainfall increased substantially in May, toward the end of the trial, and exceeded the 106-year annual average by 2.7 inches.