Cool Season Perennial Grasses as Complementary Forages to Winter Wheat Pasture |
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| Institution: | 2. The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, P. O. Box 2180, Ardmore, OK 73402.;1. Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada;2. Alberta Environment and Parks, Land and Forest Policy Division, Edmonton, AB, Canada;3. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, AB, Canada;1. Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta;2. Professor & Mattheis Chair, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta;3. Associate Professor, University of Alberta, Biological Sciences, Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science, Edmonton, Alberta;4. Retired Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Lethbridge, Alberta |
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| Abstract: | Three grazing trials with growing cattle were conducted to evaluate three cool season perennial grasses (Manska pubescent wheatgrass, Lincoln smooth bromegrass, and Paiute orchardgrass) as complementary forages for winter wheat pasture. Initial stocking rate averaged 1,359 kg BW/ha for approximately 60 d in the two spring trials (April and May) and 857 kg BW/ha for 40 d in the fall trial (late September and October). The ADG and gain per hectare averaged, respectively, 0.86 kg/d and 287 kg/ha and 0.50 kg/d and 59 kg/ha for the spring and fall trials. Generally, neither animal growth performance nor production per hectare was different among the three grasses. However, OM of wheatgrass was more digestible, and its CP was more ruminally degradable, than that of the other grasses. Crude protein concentrations of the grasses generally ranged from 13.6 to 32.4% of DM and were more than adequate to support BW gains of 1 kg/d for growing cattle. Grazing days per hectare and BW gain per hectare from the fall grazing period were only about 30 and 20%, respectively, of the totals for spring and fall 1999, which supports previous findings that most of the production of these grasses occurs in the spring. Orchardgrass was the least resistant to summer drought. Cattle must be removed from dual-purpose winter wheat at the first hollow stem stage of maturity in late winter. However, late winter forage production of these cool season perennial grasses was inadequate to serve as complementary forage to dual-purpose winter wheat. |
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