Perennial ryegrass is the major grass species used in pasture based farming systems. Therefore the continual supply of high quality seed at realistic prices is essential for increased pasture productivity.
New Zealand arable farmers are good producers of ryegrass seed. However yields are often variable and although best management practices are used, it is often not possible to determine reasons for poor productivity.
Sustainable Ryegrass Production, a research project lead by the Foundation for Arable Research and co-funded by MAF Sustainable Farming Fund (MAF SFF) aims to use a crop monitoring approach to identify some constraints related to sustainable ryegrass production and to help farmers implement changes to their management processes to optimise production.
The latest research results have shown that harvest losses occurring are very large, averaging 31% of total seed grown during the 2008/09 season and ranging from 22 to 52%. The impact of this loss on profitability is enormous. With seed valued at $2.20/kg (net of cleaning) the loss represents a reduction in profitability of $1570/ha (average loss = 710kg/ha). While some harvest loss is always going to occur, the lowest loss we have recorded, with very limited monitoring was 6% and represents a goal for growers to aspire to.
FAR will continue to monitor yield and yield component differences in an effort to understand the reasons for variations among crops. This season, a large effort is being focussed on understanding how to reduce the seed loss occurring at harvest. This will include factors such as cutting method and timing, effects of irrigation timing in relation to cutting and understanding how aggressive various methods can be; for example, how far does the crop move at cutting and does cutting method lead to different combine losses? This will help identify key performance indicators as a basis for determining guidelines for improved crop management.
Richard Chynoweth, FAR Project Manager anticipates beneficial outcomes for growers. "We trust that the results of this research will assist growers in increasing their average seed yield of ryegrass, which in turn will lead to higher profitability and more environmentally sustainable farming systems. We also hope that the outcomes will reduce the inconsistencies farmers are experiencing in yields."
For more information on this project, please contact Richard Chynoweth, FAR Project Manager on 03 325 6353 or visithttps://www.far.org.nz
Research Aims to Boost Perennial Ryegrass Production
