Can Festulolium, Dactylis glomerata and Arrhenatherum elatius be used for extension of the autumn grazing season in Central Europe?

Abstract

The paper compares the quality of Festulolium, Dactylis glomerata and Arrhenatherum elatius at the end of the growing season over three years with the contrasting weather in the Czech Republic. The effect of pre-utilisation dates in June or July on the quality of grass forage in October, November and December (harvest dates) was investigated. In the first two years, Arrhenatherum elatius exhibited higher yields (P < 0.05) than Festulolium and Dactylis glomerata. In all treatments, differences between the species and between the years were inconsistent for organic matter digestibility (OMD) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) but Festulolium showed the lowest crude protein (CP) in all years and crude fibre (CF) in the first 2 years. The longer re-growth time due to earlier final cut in summer increased the yield and decreased the nutritive value in winter. Yields of DM, OMD and CP content generally declined and the CF content increased with the delay of winter harvest. Significant species harvest date interactions in some years were due to the steep increase of CF and NDF in Festulolium. Based on DM yields and nutritive value, all species have some merits as forage for use in possibly extended grazing season. Festulolium and Dactylis glomerata could be used to extend the grazing period in continental conditions. Arrhenatherum elatius had sufficient quality at both dry and warm end of the growing season due to the fact that Arrhenatherum elatius was a representative of drought-resistant species; however, intense grazing could suppress it.

Different nutrient use strategies of expansive grasses Calamagrostis epigejos and Arrhenatherum elatius

“…In the present study, FAL of Arrhenatherum remains partly green till the end of the growing season, because of different growth strategy in comparison with Calamagrostis. Skládanka et al (2010) Table 3. Mean values ± standard deviation of litter decomposition rate (LDR), percentage amount of decomposed biomass, and litter production (FAL) in Calamagrostis epigejos and Arrhenatherum elatius stands under control and N fertilized treatments after one year incubation in 2003.…”

Can miscanthus C4photosynthesis compete with festulolium C3photosynthesis in a temperate climate?

“…The perennial grass crop, miscanthus, has therefore been regarded as one of the most ideal energy crops due to its high biomass potential and low fertilizer requirements (Lewandowski et al ., ) and because it can be harvested yearly with high average yields ranging from 13.1 to 14.4 Mg ha −1 for a period of more than 15 years even in the cold temperate maritime climate of Denmark (Larsen et al ., ). Another productive perennial grass under temperate conditions, but with the C 3 photosynthetic pathway, is festulolium, which has been found useful for extending the autumn grazing season in continental conditions (Skladanka et al ., ). Festulolium is a cross between species from the genus Festuca , with a high level of general stress tolerance towards e.g.…”

Forage as a Primary Source of Mycotoxins in Animal Diets

“…In late autumn, the vegetation of pasture plants gradually decreases and weather conditions stimulate the development of microscopic fungi [4,5], which, in consequence, may lead to the formation of mycotoxins [6]. These metabolites can cause economic losses in animal production if consumed and decrease meat quality [7].…”

“…Microorganisms in the phyllosphere of grasses are influenced appreciably by changes in grassland management, particularly by the transition from intensive management to extensification due to reduced cutting frequencies and lower fertilizer applications [ 1 – 3 ]. In late autumn, the vegetation of pasture plants gradually decreases and weather conditions stimulate the development of microscopic fungi [ 4 , 5 ], which, in consequence, may lead to the formation of mycotoxins [ 6 ]. These metabolites can cause economic losses in animal production if consumed and decrease meat quality [ 7 ].…”