Impacts of Sward Renewal Method with Perennial Ryegrass (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Lolium perenne&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;) on Dry Matter Yield, Tiller Density and Nitrate Leaching

Creighton, P.; Kennedy, E.; Hennessy, Deirdre; O’Donovan, Michael

doi:10.4236/ajps.2016.74061

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The method of cultivation chosen was specific to each site and soil type. The methods used were plough-till-sow (conventional), discing, one-pass and direct drilling, all of which have been shown to be equally as effective in terms of sward establishment and DM production (Creighton et al 2016). When a suitable seedbed was achieved, varieties were sown at a seeding rate of 34.5 kg/ha for both ploidies.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Establishing phenotypic performance of grass varieties on Irish grassland farms

et al. 2017

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SUMMARYConventionally perennial ryegrass evaluations are conducted under simulated grazing studies to identify varieties with the best phenotypic performance. However, cut-plot environments differ greatly to those experienced on commercial farms as varieties are not exposed to the same stress levels in test environments. It could be argued that plot-based testing regimes provide little direction to plant breeders in the development of advanced varieties. Varietal phenotypic performance needs to be quantified in ‘commercial’ situations. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the phenotypic performance of a range of perennial ryegrass varieties under commercial farm conditions. Monocultures of 11 Irish Recommended List perennial ryegrass varieties were sown on 66 commercial farms throughout Ireland where performance was evaluated over a 3-year period from 2013 to 2015, inclusive. A linear mixed model was used to quantify variety effects on grassland phenotypic performance characteristics. No significant variety effect was estimated for total, seasonal or silage herbage production. Despite the lack of variety effects, pairwise comparisons found significant performance differences between individual varieties. Grazed herbage yield is of primary importance and was shown to be correlated strongly with total production (0.71); Grazed herbage yield differed significantly by variety, with a range of 1927 kg dry matter (DM)/ha between the highest and lowest performing varieties. Sward quality (dry matter digestibility [DMD]) and density were influenced by variety with a range of 44 g/kg DM for DMD and 0.7 ground score units between the highest and lowest performing varieties. Results of the current study show that on-farm evaluation is effective in identifying the most suitable varieties for intensive grazing regimes, and the phenotypic variance identified among varieties performance for many traits should allow for improved genetic gain in areas such as DM production, persistence and grazing efficiency.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Establishing phenotypic performance of grass varieties on Irish grassland farms

et al. 2017

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“…(3) Grassland age: We chose to compare 'young grasslands' (5-15 years since renewal) with 'old grasslands' (>20 years since renewal). Other studies, however, compared grass productivity of recently (1-3 years) renovated grasslands with older grasslands [10,[24][25][26][27]51]. Hoogerkamp [31] described three periods regarding the productivity of cultivated grassland when ageing: the "ley phase", the "years of depression" and the "permanent grassland phase".…”

Section: Grass Productivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Productivity and Topsoil Quality of Young and Old Permanent Grassland: An On-Farm Comparison

et al. 2020

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Renewing agricultural grasslands for improved yields and forage quality generally involves eliminating standing vegetation with herbicides, ploughing and reseeding. However, grassland renewal may negatively affect soil quality and related ecosystem services. On clay soil in the north of the Netherlands, we measured grass productivity and soil chemical parameters of ‘young’ (5–15 years since last grassland renewal) and ‘old’ (>20 years since last grassland renewal) permanent grasslands, located as pairs at 10 different dairy farms. We found no significant difference with old permanent grassland in herbage dry matter yield and fertilizer nitrogen (N) response, whereas herbage N yield was lower in young permanent grassland. Moreover, the young grassland soil contained less soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (C) and soil organic N compared to the old grassland soil. Grass productivity was positively correlated with SOM and related parameters such as soil organic C, soil organic N and potentially mineralizable N. We conclude that on clay soils with 70% desirable grasses (i.e., Lolium perenne and Phleum pratense) or more, the presumed yield benefit of grassland renewal is offset by a loss of soil quality (SOM and N-total). The current practice of renewing grassland after 10 years without considering the botanical composition, is counter-productive and not sustainable.

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“…At the same time, parts of the topsoil with their characteristically large amounts of roots are buried into greater soil depths (up to 25-30 cm) and this might lead to a certain decrease in microbiological C-respiration as a consequence of reduced microbiota activity and lower aeration. These processes can help to explain the fact that a shallow but intensive sward deterioration by a rotary cultivator can lead to a similar N-mineralization than ploughing (Creighton, Kennedy, Hennessy, & O'Donovan, 2016). After resowing, the formation of new roots from grasses and legumes will take some time.…”

Section: Root C-poolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grassland renovation has important consequences for C and N cycling and losses

Kayser

Müller

Isselstein

2018

Food and Energy Security

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Sward degradation is a serious threat to the functioning of agricultural grassland and the provision of ecosystem services. Renovation measures are frequently applied to restore degraded swards. The success is highly variable, and substantial trade-offs can be related to the process of renovation. This paper starts with a general classification of renovation measures and then investigates the processes that are directly related to renovation and lead to a change in botanical composition and affect soil functions and C and N fluxes. These processes are strongly interrelated and dependent on site, climate, and management condition as well as on the timescale. The more an existing and degraded sward is deliberately disturbed prior to a renovation measure, for example, by ploughing, the stronger will be the change in sward composition, and the stronger will be the potential yield and quality advantage. However, the risk of a release of soil organic C and N emissions to the environment will also increase. These emissions will usually decrease in time, but so will the positive effects on sward composition. This demonstrates that the renovation of swards is normally the second best solution and a proper and well-adapted grassland utilization and management should be adopted to avoid degradation in the first place. K E Y W O R D Scarbon, nitrogen, reseeding, sward improvement, vegetation

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Impacts of Sward Renewal Method with Perennial Ryegrass (<i>Lolium perenne</i>) on Dry Matter Yield, Tiller Density and Nitrate Leaching

Cited by 13 publications

References 20 publications

Establishing phenotypic performance of grass varieties on Irish grassland farms

Establishing phenotypic performance of grass varieties on Irish grassland farms

Productivity and Topsoil Quality of Young and Old Permanent Grassland: An On-Farm Comparison

Grassland renovation has important consequences for C and N cycling and losses

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