Effect of post-harvest management on seed production of creeping red fescue, tall fescue, and Kentucky bluegrass in the Peace River region of north-western Canada

Abstract

Fairey, N. A. and Lefkovitch, L. P. 2001. Effect of post-harvest management on seed production of creeping red fescue, tall fescue, and Kentucky bluegrass in the Peace River region of north-western Canada. Can. J. Plant Sci. 81: 693-701. A field study in the Peace River region of northwestern Canada evaluated five post-harvest management (PHM) treatments on the seed yield and quality of four grasses, viz. Boreal creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra L. var. rubra), Safari and Tomahawk tall fescue (F. arundinacea Schreber), and Midnight Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.). The PHM treatments were: straw removal after seed harvest plus trimming prior to winter; a single propane burn; a double propane burn; power cultivation; and diuron applied in spring. The study was conducted for 3 consecutive harvest years. The grass × harvest year × PHM interaction was not statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) for any of 10 characteristics, viz. panicle density, time of seed maturity, seed yield (per unit land area and per individual panicle), whole-plant yield, harvest index, seed dockage, 1000-seed weight, specific seed weight, and germination capacity. The grass × harvest year interaction was statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) for each of the 10 characteristics, primarily because of the differential response of the bluegrass as compared to the fescue grasses. The grass × PHM interaction was statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) for seed yield of individual panicles, harvest index, seed dockage and 1000-seed weight. The PHM × harvest year interaction was statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) for specific seed weight only. The main effect of PHM was statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) for specific seed weight and germination capacity only. The average annual seed yield of the two tall fescue cultivars (1002 and 1171 kg ha -1 for Safari and Tomahawk) was approximately twice that of Boreal creeping red fescue (554 kg ha -1 ) and four times that of Midnight Kentucky bluegrass (284 kg ha -1 ). At this northerly latitude (55°N), the effects of any PHM treatment on the seed productivity of these grasses may be limited by the short period of environmental conditions between seed harvest and the onset of winter that are conducive to vegetative and reproductive tiller development. . Les TPM étaient les suivants : enlèvement de la paille après récolte des semences et coupe avant l'hiver; brûlis simple au propane; double brûlis au propane; binage mécanique; application de diuron au printemps. L'étude a duré trois années consécutives. L'interaction graminée × année × TPM n'est statistiquement significative (P ≤ 0,05) pour aucun des dix paramètres examinés, à savoir la densité des panicules, le nombre de jours avant maturité des graines, le rendement grainier (par unité de surface et par panicule), le rendement en plants entiers, l'indice de moisson, la quantité de criblures, le poids de mille graines, la densité des graines et la capacité de germination. L'interaction graminée × année est statistiquement significative (P ≤ 0,05) pour cha...

Cultivar-specific management for seed production of creeping red fescue

“…The lack of sensitivity of seed yield of creeping red fescue to various mechanical residue removal procedures is in agreement with previous results (Fairey and Lefkovitch 2001). In that study, a range of postharvest management treatments were applied immediately after seed harvest, and it was concluded that the short period of time between seed harvest and the onset of winter in the study region limits the responsiveness of grass seed crops to a broad range of post-harvest treatments.…”

Chewing, Strong, and Slender Creeping Red Fescue Response to Sowing Time and Method

“…Considering all the above reported results, it is confirmed that, in temperate climates, the ability of developing a high number of tillers during the establishment year (before winter) is a primary requirement for high SY in the following growing season for all perennial grasses (Binek and Mos´, 1992;Heide, 1994;Fairey and Lef kovich, 2001;Martyniak and Pron´czuk, 2003;Gozdowski et al, 2008). It is also confirmed that that the size of tillers at the end of the establishment year is important, as already indicated by Boelt (1999) working with red fescue.…”

“…In addition to sowing in pure stands, red fescue may also be undersown in some selected cover crops (intercrop sowing) (Fairey and Lef kovich, 2001). Red fescue seed crops can be established by sowing in pure stands either in the spring or summer.…”

Effect of shallow, rotary cultivation with vertical tines and nitrogen fertilization on the seed productivity of creeping red fescue

“…and the Low, Medium and High rotary cultivation treatments produced 1.8-2.6-fold as much seed per panicle as the no-cultivation treatment, with the amount increasing as the intensity of the cultivation increased (Table 5). A similar increase from rotary cultivation, to 165% of the control, was observed in the seed yield of individual panicles of creeping red fescue in another trial in the study region, but panicle density was decreased such that seed yield per unit land area was not increased (Fairey and Lefkovitch 2001). Similarly, in the Pacific Northwest USA, the drop in seed yield of Kentucky bluegrass with increased stand age was not prevented by "gapping" the stand in alternate years although seed yield was increased at lower rates of N fertilizer, seed weight per panicle was increased, and panicle numbers were reduced particularly at higher rates of N fertilizer (Evans and Canode 1971).…”

“…*, **, *** Statistically significant at P ≤ 0.05, P ≤ 0.01, and P ≤ 0.001, respectively; NS, not signficant. mental to seed yield because there is insufficient time, between seed harvest and the onset of winter, for the formation and growth of an optimum density of inducible tillers (Fairey and Lefkovitch 2001). CONCLUSIONS 1.…”