Yields, plant characteristics, total N and fibre composition of timothy cultivars grown at two latitudes

Abstract

Timothy (Phleum pratense L.) cultivars of southern (45°N) and northern (≥60°N) origin were grown in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada (46° N) and Jokioinen, Finland (61° N) in two years. Timothy was harvested twice a season and nitrogen applied at 100 or 150 kg/ha. Dry matter yields were higher in Charlottetown than in Jokioinen and northern cultivars outyielded southern cultivars. Nitrogen at 150 kg/ha increased total yields an average of 1.4 t/ha over the 100 kg N/ha rate. The stems and panicles of timothy were longer in Charlottetown. Northern cultivars had longer panicles. The leaf content of cultivars ranged from 139 to 230 g/kg. Northern cultivars had greater N concentrations (22.1 g/kg) in cut 2 than southern timothies (19.7 g/kg). Concentrations of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) in cut 1 were lower in Jokioinen, In conclusion, northern cultivars performed well in Charlottetown but there were differences in yield stability among cultivars. Nutritional quality of timothy cultivars varied among the sites and the significance of differences in NDF and ADF in relation to animal performance require further study.

Production and Quality of Irrigated Timothy Hay in Saskatchewan for Export Hay Markets

“…Richmond, Winmor, Climax, and Nike were not stable across site‐year combinations for this variable. These results contrast with those obtained in Charlottetown where Bottnia II exhibited long stems (Kunelius et al, 1996). The apparent negative relationship between head length and stem length in our study presents a challenge for cultivar selection to meet these quality standards.…”

“…It increased total annual yield by 4%. These results are similar to reported N fertilization effects of timothy in eastern Canada (Bélanger and Richards, 1999; Kunelius et al, 1996). Nitrogen fertilization benefits were small in our study because we did not have a comparison to a nonfertilized control.…”

“…Drummond had the longest seed heads in five out of six site‐year combinations while Toro had the shortest in four site‐years (Table 2) These cultivars were not significantly different from the longest and shortest head‐length cultivars, respectively, for the other site‐years, which indicated few rank order changes for the longest and shortest head‐length cultivars. Toro had the shortest head length at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (Kunelius et al, 1996). The head length of Drummond was among the group with the longest heads in that study also.…”

“…For export to the Japanese market, timothy hay with long seed heads, long stems, green color, and freedom from weeds or molds is preferred (Canadian Hay Assoc., 1999b). Timothy cultivars are known to differ in forage nutritive value (Bélanger and McQueen, 1996) and in head and stem length (Kunelius et al, 1996) at sites in eastern Canada. However, no information on cultivar differences for these traits has been reported in western Canada, and no cultivar recommendation for irrigated timothy production existed for Saskatchewan.…”

“…However, no information on cultivar differences for these traits has been reported in western Canada, and no cultivar recommendation for irrigated timothy production existed for Saskatchewan. Nitrogen fertilization increased timothy head length but not stem length in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (Kunelius et al, 1996). No definitive standards have been established for these criteria, but exporters purchase timothy hay with longest heads and stems available based on the market's perception of these traits (Canadian Hay Assoc., 1999b).…”