Evaluation of a New Fall Rye Cultivar 'Bono' in Single and Double Cropping Systems
Date
2021-03-16
Authors
Darambazar, Enkhjargal
Larson, Kathy A.
Damiran, Daalkhaijav
Lardner, Bart H.A.
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Hybrid fall rye (FR, Secale cereale L.) is now being considered as a novel cropping option in western Canada due to its high yield potential, fast growing, and earlier maturing and harvest. An earlier harvest allows producers to consider the option of seeding another forage on the same land base in the same crop year (i.e., double cropping). Growing fall rye may also address forage demand during drought conditions due to its fibrous root system and efficient use of N along with spring moisture. The objective of this study was to evaluate performance of a new hybrid fall rye cultivar ‘Bono’ compared to a conventional fall rye, modern open pollinated cultivar ‘Hazlet’ and winter triticale in single and double cropping systems with spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in central Saskatchewan. The study included 5 replicated (n = 4) treatments: (i) Bono fall rye; (ii) Hazlet fall rye; and (iii) Pika winter triticale as single crops, and two double cropping treatments composed of spring barley harvested for greenfeed followed by the seeding of two fall rye cultivars: (iv) barley/BonoFR; and (v) barley/HazletFR. The study was conducted in the Dark Brown soil zone at the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence located near Clavet, SK in 2019 and 2020. Pre-seeding herbicide was applied for all treatment plots. No fertilizer was added except for double-cropping plots that were fertilized with 23 kg actual N/ha in fall 2019. First crop - barley was seeded at 136.6 kg/ha at 2.5 cm depth and harvested for greenfeed at soft dough stage in late summer, followed by second crop - fall rye seeded at 85 kg/ha and 3.75 cm depth in the same year. The fall rye was harvested as greenfeed between the flag leaf to heading emergence the following summer. Winter triticale was seeded at 151.2 kg/ha and 3.75 cm depth. Soil was analyzed for available nitrate–N (NO3–N), sulfate–S (SO4–S), phosphate–P, (HPO4/H2PO4–P), and available potassium (K). Forage dry matter yield (DMY) and quality were determined including crude protein (CP), crude protein yield (CPY) and total digestible nutrient yields (TDNY) per hectare. Metabolizable energy (ME), and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) were also estimated to evaluate the two cropping systems. Soil available N, P, K, and S averaged 62.2, 26, 724, and 1502 kg/ha, respectively. In the double cropping system, first crop-spring barley produced similar (P > 0.05) DMY (avg. 5955 kg/ha) and quality (CP = 9.1%; neutral detergent fiber (NDF = 47.4%, TDN = 67.2%, ME = 2.5 Mcal/kg) over the two production years. Bono fall rye did not differ (P > 0.05) in DMY (avg. 2339.8 kg/ha) or quality from Hazlet fall rye in both single and double cropping systems. However, compared to winter triticale, both fall rye cultivars had lower CP (13.4 vs. 18.6%; P = 0.003), ruminally degradable protein (RDP, 10.2 vs. 13.7%; P = 0.004), relative feed value (RFV, 91.8 vs. 122.3; P < 0.001), K (2.24 vs. 3.2%; P < 0.001), Mn (24.9 vs. 41.7 mg/kg; P = 0.001), Zn (16.4 vs. 22.7 mg/kg; P = 0.003) and higher NDF (60.3 vs. 49.1%; P < 0.001). Both fall rye varieties and triticale had similar (P > 0.05) DMY and estimated nutrient yield per hectare including CPY, TDNY, N, P, and K, but differed (P = 0.009) for higher NUE level. Expectedly, double cropping increased total DMY (barley DMY + fall rye DMY) by 74.2% (8401 vs. 2166 kg/ha), CPY by 61.5% (832.8 vs. 320.5 kg/ha), TDNY by 75.9% (5503 vs. 1325 kg/ha), P by 77.1% (19.5 vs. 4.5 kg/ha), K by 41.7% (94.8 vs. 55.3 kg/ha), and N uptake (133.3 vs. 51.3 kg/ha), with 34.7% higher NUE (64.5 vs. 42.1) as opposed to single crops. Preliminary results suggest that the new cultivar, Bono fall rye shows good potential to be used in a double cropping system providing adequate forage production and nutrition for beef cattle, while its lower nutritive value compared to winter triticale is compensated by the higher efficiency of nitrogen use, protein and total digestible nutrients accumulated per hectare. Spring seeded barley would provide suitable forage for greenfeed during summer, and Bono fall rye would be a viable alternative to other winter cereals in a single cropping system.
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Hybrid Fall Rye, Double Cropping System, Greenfeed
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Soils and Crops Workshop