Rye Grass Ag Education II

Rye Grass What do you know about rye grass? How many kinds of rye grass are there? Where is it grown? Why is rye grass important?

Where did Ryegrass come from? Ryegrasses were brought to the USA from Europe and are now planted and grown throughout the country.

Scientific name- Lolium multiflorum Other names- Italian Ryegrass, Australian

Plant Characteristics Growth Type- bunch Texture- Coarse Density- Medium to poor Color- light green

Uses for Ryegrass Uses 1. Grain 30-40% 2. Hay 3. Pasture 4. Cover Crop Grain Uses 1. Flour 2. Alcohol 3. Seed 4. Livestock Feed

More Uses Temporary cover Nurse grass Pasture Silage and Green chop Erosion Control Wildlife cover feed

Diseases Less subject to disease due to its hardiness Ergot is most common disease Ergot- A kernel is replaced with black or purple fungus called sclerotia Leaf spot, barley yellow dwarf virus No insect problems are unique to annual ryegrass. Grass grub is an important pest of ryegrass. In the Southeastern pets ryegrass seedlings are attacked by mole crickets and fall armyworms

Reproduction Life cycle- Annual or short lived (perennial) Propagation- seed

Adaptation Sun/ Shade- sun to moderate shade Soil- medium to heavy Moisture- medium to wet Good with irrigated farming on well-drained land

Adaptation Annual ryegrass is best adapted to cool, moist climates In the milder regions of its adaptation zone, annual ryegrass can survive for several years. In the more extreme environments, it behaves as an annual. Annual ryegrass grows best on fertile, well-drained soils, but has a wide range of soil adaptability

Conditions for Growing Annual ryegrass grows best on fertile, well- drained soils, but has a wide range of soil adaptability. Annual ryegrass is tolerant of long periods of continuous flooding—15 to 20 days when temperatures are below 81°F (27°C).

Special Problems Annual--- Difficult to cut Can become weedy

Perennial Vs. Annual Perennial requires a dormancy period of cool temperatures before it flowers--they also flower in late spring Annual can be grown in more places than Perennial ryegrass.

Where Ryegrass is grown in the U.S.

Facts There are nearly 3 million acres of annual ryegrass in the United States, with about 90 percent used for winter pasture in the southeast. Annual ryegrass produces some of the highest quality pasture that can be grown in the southeastern United States.

Advantages- Disadvantages Advantages- very good quality possible easy to establish rapid growth rate Disadvantages- poor drought and heat tolerance not well suited to poorly drained soils

Yield (based on 2 harvest seasons) Seeds/ pound: 227,000 Seeding rate: pounds per acre Seeding date: early spring May survive winter with alfalfa if consistent snow cover