Annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) is a cool-season grass that originated in southern Europe. It is sometimes called Italian ryegrass. Although an annual, ranchers in the southeast U.S. depend on it for its reseeding ability, resulting in "volunteer" stands of annual ryegrass from year to year once the seed bank is established. The greatest use of ryegrass in the Noble Foundation service area within 100 miles of Ardmore, Okla., is either as a component of a winter pasture mix to be grazed out by stocker cattle or as an early-season forage overseeded into bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) to provide 30-45 days of grazing prior to bermudagrass breaking dormancy.
Annual ryegrass is not a perennial plant or a cereal grain. There are perennial ryegrasses (Lolium perenne L.), but they are not adapted to the Southern Great Plains. Rye (Secale cereal L.) is a common winter annual that, because of the name, is sometimes confused with ryegrass.
Why Producers Like Annual Ryegrass
Annual ryegrass is easy to establish since it doesn't require a prepared seedbed. A broadcast seeding of 20-30 pounds of seed per acre over a wheat/rye/oats pasture or a shortly grazed bermudagrass pasture is all that is needed to produce a stand of annual ryegrass. Some producers will lightly disk their bermudagrass pastures in the fall to encourage the annual ryegrass to germinate. When overseeded into bermudagrass sod, most of the production occurs from early April through June. Planting time for annual ryegrass is late August through early October, but can be as late as February. Annual ryegrass will germinate in the fall, but there is usually not sufficient top growth to support much fall grazing except in a clean-tilled situation. In Noble Foundation variety trials using a clean-tilled seedbed, ryegrass has been shown to out-produce wheat or rye plantings in terms of total production, and the seed is usually less expensive than small grains seed.
Management Challenges With Annual Ryegrass
The biggest challenge for managing annual ryegrass when overseeding is to manage the growth so that it doesn't impede the early growth of the bermudagrass. It is not uncommon in Texas and Oklahoma to have good precipitation in the early spring followed by a dry summer. Early spring rains allow ryegrass to produce an abundance of forage. Annual ryegrass will use the available moisture and then shade the bermudagrass just as it is trying to break dormancy. The result is a severely weakened, suppressed stand of bermudagrass.
To manage the annual ryegrass growth spurt before the bermudagrass greens up, high stock densities of livestock are necessary to keep up with the growth. In some years, haying is the best or only means to adequately remove the ryegrass to allow the bermudagrass to start its growth cycle. Ryegrass hay is usually of high quality if cut and baled properly.
Other Management Considerations
Do not overseed all of your bermudagrass with annual ryegrass. Designate certain pastures as ryegrass pastures, and leave your best bermudagrass pastures as monocultures. Allocate approximately 1 acre per cow to provide you with 30-45 days of grazing in early spring, provided you fertilize in February or March with 50 pounds of nitrogen per acre.
Early production of bermudagrass will be lost if the ryegrass growth is not removed by grazing or haying no later than May 15. For some producers, however, that 30-45 days of grazing prior to May is worth it to be able to quit feeding hay.
Overseeding annual ryegrass into bermudagrass does not provide a free lunch. You will lose some early production of bermudagrass in a normal year, and, if it is dry for the rest of the summer, you could lose your entire stand of bermudagrass. You can find this and past articles on the web at http://www.mycountrytractor.com/ for your reference. Extension programs serve of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating serve of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating
Thank you,
Tommy Neyland
County Extension Agent
Texas Agrilife Extension Service
P.O. Box 188
Centerville, Texas 75833
903.536.2531 phone
903.536.3804 fax
Mycountrytractor.com is the destination for those looking for community info. Mycountrytractor is involved with county events and child involvement to help support local 4-H and FFA events. We have wonderful Agriculture information for our visitors for all your farming and ranching needs
Friday, May 14, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Better Living for Texans Program
May 11, 2010
The Leon County AgriLife Extension Service=s Better Living for Texans Program is offering Nutrition classes locally to help residents learn how to plan and serve healthy meals. The classes,
My Pyramid: Better Health with Better Choices, Food Safety and You, and Shopping Strategies to Stretch Your Food Dollars are offered free of charge.
The classes will be held at 10:00 am on the second Thursday in June, July and August 12, 2010 at the First United Methodist Church in Normangee, Texas.
June 10 - My Pyramid: Better Health with Better Choices, participants will learn how to apply three keys to good health.
July 8 - Food Safety and You, instructs participants on the prevention of foodborne illness, such as food poisoning.
August 12 - Shopping Strategies to Stretch Your Food Dollars, instructs participants on three ways that consumers can stretch their food dollars.
To learn more about the Better Living for Texan Program contact the AgriLife Extension Service
at 903 536-2531.
Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of
Agriculture and County Commissioners Court of Texas Cooperating.
The Leon County AgriLife Extension Service=s Better Living for Texans Program is offering Nutrition classes locally to help residents learn how to plan and serve healthy meals. The classes,
My Pyramid: Better Health with Better Choices, Food Safety and You, and Shopping Strategies to Stretch Your Food Dollars are offered free of charge.
The classes will be held at 10:00 am on the second Thursday in June, July and August 12, 2010 at the First United Methodist Church in Normangee, Texas.
June 10 - My Pyramid: Better Health with Better Choices, participants will learn how to apply three keys to good health.
July 8 - Food Safety and You, instructs participants on the prevention of foodborne illness, such as food poisoning.
August 12 - Shopping Strategies to Stretch Your Food Dollars, instructs participants on three ways that consumers can stretch their food dollars.
To learn more about the Better Living for Texan Program contact the AgriLife Extension Service
at 903 536-2531.
Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of
Agriculture and County Commissioners Court of Texas Cooperating.
Chute N The Bull 5-10-10
Potassium (K) is an essential element in plants and is considered one of the three macronutrients, along with nitrogen and phosphorus. Its relative amount is analyzed and reported in almost all routine soil samples. Therefore, it's obvious that it is important. Unfortunately, with recent price increases, it has gone from being the least expensive to the most expensive of the three macronutrients. In this article, I'll look at where potassium deficiencies are most likely to occur, the consequences of these deficiencies and management strategies to address these situations.
Plants take up potassium in the ionic form (K+). Since soils have a net negative electrical charge due to the clays and organic matter, the positively charged potassium is held magnetically to the clays and organic matter particles in the soil. The more clay and organic matter there is in the soil, the more strongly potassium is held. If there is little clay and/or organic matter in the soil, potassium can leach out of the root zone in heavy rains. Therefore, one likely place for potassium deficiency to occur is in very sandy soils with low organic matter contents.
Another likely spot for potassium deficiency to occur is in hay fields. Hay and silage remove large amounts of potassium because they remove entire plants. With higher hay and silage yields, more potassium is removed. Very little potassium is removed in grazing situations, and grain crops and cotton do not remove as much potassium as hay or silage. If harvesting forages and crop residues for biofuel becomes commonplace, potassium deficiencies will likely increase due to whole plant removal.
Potassium deficiencies are expressed in various ways due to the functions the element serves in the plant. One beneficial function of potassium is that it helps reduce the severity of some plant diseases. This is especially true in perennial forages, such as alfalfa and bermudagrass. If these species are deficient in potassium, the stand will probably not last as long as it would if potassium levels were adequate. Another beneficial function of potassium in plants is that it increases winter hardiness in perennial forages. Having adequate potassium will not make a cold-sensitive forage species thrive in Minnesota, but it can make a difference in how well it handles an abnormally cold winter within its adapted range. This, coupled with the disease resistance benefits of adequate potassium, helps explain why perennial forages grown in soils with optimum levels of potassium have longer-lived stands than those grown in potassium-deficient soils.
Since potassium fertilizers have increased in price, what are some management strategies to employ? First, collect soil samples from all fields you intend to fertilize. This will let you know if you actually have low levels of soil potassium. Do not apply potassium (or any other nutrient) without a soil test just because you think it may be lacking. This could be rather expensive if you don't need it.
Second, if you have low/medium soil potassium and you are cutting hay from your place, consider grazing the fields and buying your hay from somewhere else. This allows you to run more cows. Also, when you buy hay and feed it, you are adding nutrients, including potassium, onto your land from someone else's field. The value of nutrients you receive when buying hay and feeding it offsets a large portion of the cost of the hay. If you cut hay from your fields to feed to your cows, try to feed the hay back in that same field to recycle the nutrients rather than export them.
Third, if you are selling high yields of a premium hay crop (alfalfa or horse-quality bermudagrass), apply the rate of potassium recommended by soil test. While it may be expensive, you will more than make up the cost in increased yields and longer-lived stands. You can find this and past articles on the web at http://www.mycountrytractor.com/ for your reference. Extension programs serve of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating serve of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating
Thank you,
Tommy Neyland
County Extension Agent
Texas Agrilife Extension Service
P.O. Box 188
Centerville, Texas 75833
903.536.2531 phone
903.536.3804 fax
Plants take up potassium in the ionic form (K+). Since soils have a net negative electrical charge due to the clays and organic matter, the positively charged potassium is held magnetically to the clays and organic matter particles in the soil. The more clay and organic matter there is in the soil, the more strongly potassium is held. If there is little clay and/or organic matter in the soil, potassium can leach out of the root zone in heavy rains. Therefore, one likely place for potassium deficiency to occur is in very sandy soils with low organic matter contents.
Another likely spot for potassium deficiency to occur is in hay fields. Hay and silage remove large amounts of potassium because they remove entire plants. With higher hay and silage yields, more potassium is removed. Very little potassium is removed in grazing situations, and grain crops and cotton do not remove as much potassium as hay or silage. If harvesting forages and crop residues for biofuel becomes commonplace, potassium deficiencies will likely increase due to whole plant removal.
Potassium deficiencies are expressed in various ways due to the functions the element serves in the plant. One beneficial function of potassium is that it helps reduce the severity of some plant diseases. This is especially true in perennial forages, such as alfalfa and bermudagrass. If these species are deficient in potassium, the stand will probably not last as long as it would if potassium levels were adequate. Another beneficial function of potassium in plants is that it increases winter hardiness in perennial forages. Having adequate potassium will not make a cold-sensitive forage species thrive in Minnesota, but it can make a difference in how well it handles an abnormally cold winter within its adapted range. This, coupled with the disease resistance benefits of adequate potassium, helps explain why perennial forages grown in soils with optimum levels of potassium have longer-lived stands than those grown in potassium-deficient soils.
Since potassium fertilizers have increased in price, what are some management strategies to employ? First, collect soil samples from all fields you intend to fertilize. This will let you know if you actually have low levels of soil potassium. Do not apply potassium (or any other nutrient) without a soil test just because you think it may be lacking. This could be rather expensive if you don't need it.
Second, if you have low/medium soil potassium and you are cutting hay from your place, consider grazing the fields and buying your hay from somewhere else. This allows you to run more cows. Also, when you buy hay and feed it, you are adding nutrients, including potassium, onto your land from someone else's field. The value of nutrients you receive when buying hay and feeding it offsets a large portion of the cost of the hay. If you cut hay from your fields to feed to your cows, try to feed the hay back in that same field to recycle the nutrients rather than export them.
Third, if you are selling high yields of a premium hay crop (alfalfa or horse-quality bermudagrass), apply the rate of potassium recommended by soil test. While it may be expensive, you will more than make up the cost in increased yields and longer-lived stands. You can find this and past articles on the web at http://www.mycountrytractor.com/ for your reference. Extension programs serve of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating serve of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating
Thank you,
Tommy Neyland
County Extension Agent
Texas Agrilife Extension Service
P.O. Box 188
Centerville, Texas 75833
903.536.2531 phone
903.536.3804 fax
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