Variations of Forage Yield and Nutritive Value in Winter Rye Germplasm

Abstract

There has been an increasing use of rye (Secale cereale L.) for winter forage production in the United States because of its good forage yield, nutritive value, and winter hardiness. However, limited information on forage rye is available. To identify variations and germplasm with superior forage yield and/or nutritive value, winter rye germplasm, including elite cultivars and advanced breeding lines, were evaluated during two growing seasons. Effects of germplasm, clipping date, and germplasm by clipping date interactions were significant for dry matter yield (DMY). Clipping date and germplasm by clipping date interactions were significant for crude protein (CP), minerals, and nutritive value, but germplasm effect was not significant. Across the environments, seasonal DMY ranged from 789 kg ha−1 for ThunderGreen at the first clipping to 3733 kg ha−1 for NF97352 at the first clipping. Crude protein concentration varied from 17.7 to 27.9% for ThunderGreen at the third and first clipping, respectively. Cumulative DMY ranged from 5301 kg ha−1 for ThunderGreen to 8114 kg ha−1 for NF95319B. The results of this study identified significant variations in DMY and nutritive value among the rye germplasm, which may provide useful information for rye breeding programs for winter forage production and livestock producers.

Evaluation of Morphological Characteristics and Forage Biomass Yield of Five Selected Wheat Cultivars for Ruminant Livestock Nutrition in Northern Pakistan

“…There was a large range (68.7 to 79.3 cm) in the plant height among the wheat cultivars. In agreement with our findings large difference in the plant height among wheat genotypes were reported by Kim et al (2016); 75.4 to 80.0 cm and Shahzad et al (2002); 75 to 94 cm. Plant height is directly proportion to biomass yield and nutritional quality of forages.…”

“…There was large variation in the contents of NDF (42.4 to 44.7%) and ADF (29.4 to 32.2%) among the wheat cultivars in the present study. The variation in NDF content observed in our study is in line with findings of Kim et al (2016), who observed marked variation in the NDF content (33.4 to 45.0%) of wheat forage among 299 germplasm of wheat. Similarly, Bezabih et al (2018) reported a wide range in the NDF content (70.6 to 76.6%) among 25 wheat cultivars.…”

“…Wheat is either grown as a dualpurposes (forage and grain production) crop or in mixture with other leguminous and non-leguminous fodder crops for more stable yield and quality fodder production during winter scarcity period. As a promising source for winter forage production (Kim and Anderson, 2016), screening of the current pool of traditional wheat cultivars for selection of wheat genotypes with high forage yield and nutritional value could minimize the animal production losses during the winter scarcity periods, particularly under the predominant small-scale production systems of the country. The significant variation in morphological characteristics such as plant height and leaf: Stem ratio among the evaluated wheat cultivars reflects the variation in their chemical composition and digestibility.…”

“…Wheat is generally grown for cereal grain purpose; however, little attention has been given to improvement of its forage quality (Cash et al, 2007). The specific varieties of wheat affect not only the grain yield but also the nutritional quality of wheat forage and straws (Kim et al, 2016;Bezabih et al, 2018). It has been reported that wheat genotypes, which have more height have more long lean leaves proportion (142-152 cm), produces higher yields and more nutritious biomass of both forage and straw (Capstaff and Miller, 2018).…”

Genetic Diversity of Great Plains Hard Winter Wheat Germplasm for Forage

“…The two key factors could be represented by CPY. Adequate protein supply to cattle during winter periods is important for animal health and productivity as well as high protein concentration is also positively correlated with profitability from hay production (Kim et al, 2016). The historical germplasm Cheyenne produced the least amount of DMY and CPY although its CP concertation ranked 236th out of the 299 germplasm (Table 2; Supplemental Table S4).…”