Tuesday, 8 November 2005
5

Forage Quality of Nine Irrigated Pasture Grasses under an Irrigation Gradient and Multiple Harvests.

Kevin Jensen, Blair Waldron, Michael Peel, and Joseph Robins. USDA-ARS, USDA-ARS-FRRL, 695 N 1100 E, Logan, UT 84322-6300

Water available for irrigating pastures in the western USA is often limited and varies widely across sites and seasons. Objectives were to determine the trends in crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), in vitro true digestibility (IVTD), and water-use efficiency (D) in creeping meadow foxtail (Alepecurus arundinaceus Poir.), meadow (Bromus riparius Rehm.) and smooth (B. inermus Leyss), smooth X meadow bromegrass hybrids, orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinaceae Schreb.), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), RS- hybrid (Elymus hoffmannii Jensen & Asay), and Matua bromegrass (B. willdenowii Kunth) at five irrigation levels and three harvests (early, mid-, and late season). Combined over water levels and harvests, smooth bromegrass had significantly higher CP concentrations (238 g/kg) and lower NDF concentrations (418 g/kg) than the other grasses. In vitro true digestibility was highest in perennial ryegrass (895 g/kg) and smooth bromegrass (893 g/kg). Forage quality in hybrids between smooth and meadow bromegrass were intermediate to the parents. Trends within water levels and harvests and intercharacter correlations will be presented.

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