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A STUDY IN METHODS OF GRASS VARIETY TESTING
Author(s) -
Green J. O.,
Eyles Jean C.
Publication year - 1960
Publication title -
grass and forage science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1365-2494
pISSN - 0142-5242
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2494.1960.tb00166.x
Subject(s) - perennial plant , agronomy , forage , biology , dry matter , yield (engineering) , mathematics , metallurgy , materials science
Methods for the appraisal of varieties in forage grasses are examined in the light of results from an experiment. Five varieties of perennial ryegrass were grown as spaced plants, broadcast swards and swards with white clover, and all were subjected to five cutting treatments during the first and second harvest year. Spaced plants and swards gave equally good information on the order in which varieties attained maximum rate of growth in spring each year; but in respect of actual yield, the order in which varieties were placed in spaced‐plant culture was reversed in broadcast swards. It is suggested that the disparity may have arisen because all varieties were sown at a common seed rate; and that spaced‐plant cultures give a better indication of relative potentialities than do the majority of sward trials. Late‐maturing varieties compared better with early varieties when each variety was cut with reference to date of ear emergence than when all varieties were cut simultaneously (that is, in respect of dry matter production: at a given stage of development the early varieties had a slightly higher nitrogen content than the late). The shortcomings of both systems of cutting, and the need for comprehensive tests, are discussed. There was little interaction between method of culture and cutting treatment in this experiment.