Cropping systems for annual forage production in northeast Saskatchewan

Abstract

Herbage production for silage and pasture production of annual species was investigated near Melfort in northeastern Saskatchewan. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and oats (Avena sativa L.) were seeded as spring monocrops (SMC) and in binary intercrop (IC) mixtures with fall species including winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), fall rye (Secale cereale L.), winter triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack L.), biennial Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and annual Westerwolds ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.). Fall species were also seeded as monocrops (FMC). Silage Spring harvest occurred when barley (early-silage cut) and oats (late-silage cut) reached soft dough stage and again late in the autumn. An additional deferred grazing (DG) treatment containing each one fall species was harvested once in the autumn. Mean ranking of spring herbage silage yield was Oat-SMC (100%) > Oat-IC (91%) > Barley-SMC (83%) = Barley-IC (78%) > late-cut FMC (53%) > early-cut FMC (42%) (P ≤ 0.001). SilageSpring herbage yield of IC combinations was similar, but FMCs containing annual ryegrass were 26% to 34% (P ≤ .01) greater than other treatments. Crude protein content (g kg-1) was 14 to 35% higher (P ≤ 0.001) in IC systems than the corresponding SMC. Neutraleutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) content (g kg-1) of barley based systems was 15 and 22% lower (P ≤ 0.001) than those with oats. Ranking and relative productivity for fall pasture was DG (100%) > early-cut FMC (67%) > late-cut FMC (49%) > Barley-IC (30%) > Oat-IC (24%) = Barley-SMC (14%) (P ≤ 0.001). Cropping systems that contained no spring cereal produced 2.37-fold higher (P ≤ 0.001) fall pasture yield than those with spring cereals. Among FMCs, ICs and DG systems, mean yield of ryegrass treatments were generally higher (P ≤ 0.05) than that of fall cereals. Key words: Annual forage, deferred grazing, intercrop, monocrop