Johnathon D. Holman, Donn Thill, Jodi Johnson-Maynard, Karl Umiker, Carl Hunt, and Joe McCaffrey. University of Idaho, PSES Department, PO Box 442339, Moscow, ID 83844-2339
Kentucky bluegrass seed production has historically relied on post-harvest burning to maintain stand productivity. Stand life is reduced from ten to three years when post-harvest residue is baled rather than burned. Regulations that prohibit or restrict burning have been imposed in the Pacific Northwest. This study evaluated the treatments: burn, bale + burn, graze, bale + graze, and bale + mow for post-harvest residue removal and subsequent year's seed production. Treatments were imposed in the fall of 2003 and 2004, and yield was measured in 2004 and will be measured in 2005. Standing and non-standing post-harvest residue was measured before and after treatment from three 0.25 m2 quadrats per plot. Total residue in 2003 was less (P < 0.05) following the burn treatment (105 g/m2) than the bale + mow treatment by 61 percent, but was not significantly different than bale + burn (83 g/m2), bale + graze (97 g/m2), or graze (142 g/m2) treatments. Total residue in 2004 was less (P < 0.05) following the burn treatment (136 g/m2) than the bale + mow and bale + graze treatments by 151 and 82 percent, respectively, but was not significantly different than bale + burn (101g/m2) or graze (208 g/m2) treatments. The greater residue removal from bale + graze in 2003 was due to greater post-harvest grazing. Seed yield in 2004 was greater (P < 0.05) for the bale + burn treatment (461 kg/ha) than the burn, graze, and bale + mow treatments by 30, 53, and 73 percent, respectively, but was not greater than the bale + graze (393 kg/ha) treatment. Burn might have yielded less than bale + burn in 2004 due to more residue being burned, which can cause crop injury during dry fall conditions. Yield was negatively correlated to total and non-standing post-harvest residue.
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