Producers have been establishing their perennial ryegrass under the cover of Liberty Link Canola. Liberty is a non selective herbicide for weed control in tolerant canola and has always been seen as a desiccant of weeds that come in contact with it. After noting that a number of growers had successfully established perennial ryegrass fields using this practice, MFSA decided to conduct trials.
This research is year one of a three year project that looks at the effects of different timings of two plant growth regulators, Parlay (Trinexapac-ethyl) and Manipulator on perennial ryegrass. The trial was a 3 rep medium size plot study with each plot measuring approximately one acre in size.
As a result of research conducted by the Manitoba Forage Seed Association and work that was done in the United States, the plant growth regulator Parlay™ (trinexapac-ethyl) was registered for use on Perennial Ryegrass seed in Canada. Research demonstrated that the application of Parlay improves harvest efficiency by reducing stock height and limiting lodging which in turn could result in increased seed yield. Presently there is a prairie-wide effort to have Parlay label expanded to include all grass seed crops. This research studies the results of using two plant growth regulators (Parlay & Manipulator) on Annual Ryegrass, Hybrid Brome and Tall Fescue seed crops.
This research explored the effect that nitrogen ramping and Parlay application would have on lodging and seed yield in Perennial Ryegrass.
Plant growth regulators are valuable tools in a grower's tool box as they can decrease plant height, lodging and increase pollination, plant tilling and seed yield. MFSA conducted small plot research exploring the potential for four plant growth regulators in hybrid brome, timothy, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and alfalfa.
A common grower's question is' does spending the extra money to spray a fungicide on their crop make economic sense? In this study, the Manitoba Forage Seed Association looked at the effects of utilizing different fungicides in perennial ryegrass. Funding for the 2015 & 2016 research in this area was provided by Growing Forward 2 and Western Grains Research Foundation.
With the registration of Parlay (Plant Growth Regulator) in perennial ryegrass, growers are now interested in the potential of using the product in other grass seed crops. The Manitoba Forage Seed Association has spent several years examining the use of Parlay in a broad range of grass seed crops to examine the potential for registration. Grass seed crops that were examined for the use of Parlay were: Hybrid brome, Tall fescue and Timothy.
New agricultural technologies are available to growers every season. When they improve efficiencies on the farm, it is worth considering using them. One new technology already being used by growers is variable rate technology. In grass seed crops it makes sense to focus on variable rate nitrogen (N) as relatively high levels of N is required. The goal of this research is to analyze the feasibility of variable rate N in grass seed production.
Research on fungicides, for use on grass seed crops continues to be one of the priorities for grass seed growers in Manitoba. In 2014 MFSA began a three year study looking at the use of fungicides in perennial ryegrass.
Decisions that producers make for their crops are often based upon a fixed calendar date. In perennial ryegrass this may include fertilizer, herbicide, fungicide, insecticide, and plant growth regulator applications. Typically, producers begin monitoring their fields to decide when to apply their inputs, based on this fixed date. Due to variations in growing conditions from year to year, producers can miss the ideal timing. The use of growing degree days (GDD) is a far more consistent method for determining plant development. In perennial ryegrass, GDD are determined by adding the maximum and minimum daily temperatures, and then dividing by two.