Field Drying‐Rate Differences Among Three Cool‐Season Grasses

Abstract

Conserving cool‐season grasses as silage or hay remains a challenge due to the time required for field curing and the unpredictability of the weather. We compared the drying rates of three grasses with differing yield potential, morphology, and physical characteristics. Inflorescence‐stage meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds. subsp. pratensis [syn. Schedonorus pratensis (Huds.) P. Beauv.]), orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), and reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) were cut and swathed with field‐scale equipment at 1100 h on three consecutive days of early June in each of 2 years. Moisture, drying rate, and nutritive value were measured hourly until 1600 h and over the same time frame during the following 2 days. Despite differences in leaf‐to‐stem ratio and windrow density, there were few differences in drying rate (mean of 0.229, 0.150, and 0.119/h on the first, second, and third days, respectively). In one year, meadow fescue had lower initial moisture content at harvest than the other grasses, potentially allowing earlier processing into silage on the first day of curing. Species will probably not have an impact on drying rate of cool‐season grasses harvested at the same relative maturity.

Fermentation characteristics and nutritive value of baled grass silages made from meadow fescue, tall fescue, or an orchardgrass cultivar exhibiting a unique nonflowering growth response

“…The drier nature of orchardgrass forages reflects more rapid field wilting that is likely explained by swaths that were less dense, and with a complete absence of stem tissue. Brink et al (2014) compared the field drying rates of 3 cool-season grasses [meadow fescue, orchardgrass, and reed canarygrass (Phalaris aruninacea L.)] grown in southern Wisconsin, and concluded that forage species likely has little effect on drying rates. Although windrow densities and leaf-to-stem ratios varied across forages in that study, the nonflowering response reported for our orchardgrass forages was not observed.…”