PROJECT RESULTS

Manitoba Forage Crop Variety Testing Program

Applicant: 

Roberta Currah

Manitoba Forage Council

Winnipeg, Manitoba  R3J 2H3  Canada

Table of Contents:

• Background and Objectives
• Procedure and Project Activities
• Results and Discussion
• Conclusion

ARDI Project:

#01-478

Project Status:

Completed March, 2004

Background and Objectives:

Forage crops are a vital component of sustainable agriculture.  Forage crops offer advantages of improved soil quality, nitrogen fixation and protection of the soil resource from erosion and degradation.  They also provide important habitat for wildlife and waterfowl.  Forage crops offer great economic benefits in a diversified farming economy by producing quality feed for livestock and forage seed as a cash crop.  Forages play a key role in expanding Manitoba’s ruminant livestock herd as well as providing an economically and environmentally sustainable option for producers farming CLI class 4, 5 and 6 lands.

Forage crops can be established in a number of production systems over a wide range of soil and climatic zones.  However, proper selection of crop and variety is critical in optimizing the benefits of forage crops in a sustainable cropping system.  The Manitoba Forage Crop Variety Testing Program provides Manitoba farmers with objective information on growth and yield characteristics of new forage cultivars as they enter the marketplace.  This information assists producers in identifying varieties most suited to their farms.  This allows for rapid update by producers of the latest genetic improvements available, which ensures that Manitoba farmers are competitive in both domestic and export markets.  This program increases the amount of information available for farmers to use in their decision-making process.

Procedure and Project Activities:

The forage variety testing program evaluates cultivar performance and is based on dry matter yield values.  This testing program is part of a larger program called The Western Forage Variety Testing program, which was developed in 1994.  It coordinates testing across the western provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.  The project evaluated several forage species including alfalfa, cicer milkvetch, Bromegrass, crested Wheatgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, orchardgrass, and timothy.  Data from these tests are utilized for both registration and recommendation of forage cultivars within Canada.  Data for the varieties marketed in the province was added to the Seed Manitoba database and published in the Seed Manitoba Guide, as well as the Manitoba Forage Cultivar Report.  These reports are distributed to producers, specialists, and extension staff in Manitoba and across Western Canada as well. 

Experimental Design and Plot Management

Western Forage tests are replicated at each of the three sites Arborg, Neepawa, and St. Pierre.  Each year members of the Provincial Forage Variety Registration Subcommittee inspected the sites to determine whether the tests would be accepted, conditionally be accepted (certain plots or replicates may not be harvestable) or rejected. 

Plots are approximately 2 m x 6 m and are established in a randomized complete block design with four replicates.  A plot tiller is used to prepare the seedbed and a small plot seed drill is used to sow the plots.  Seeding rates were based on provincial recommendations and calculated on a pure live seeds per meter row basis.  Tests are maintained according to recommended field practices including; soil testing and efficient fertilizer application, appropriate pest control, including pesticide application, hand weeding and timely tilling of borders.  Trials are harvested for three years after the year of establishment.  A two cut harvest system is maintained for legumes and one cut for grasses.  In some years an additional harvest is obtained providing weather conditions are adequate.  Legume tests are harvested at the beginning of bloom (approx. 10% of bloom) and grass tests at full heading.  Plots are harvested using a small plot harvester (Haldrup), which cuts an approximate swath of 2 m. Each plot is weighed in the field and sub-sampled to determine moisture content.

Results and Discussion:

The 2003 season marked the third year the Manitoba Forage Council has operated the Forage Variety Testing Program, with four sites throughout Manitoba.  These include Arborg, St. Pierre, and Neepawa, which is operated by Proven Seed.  However, as of this year the Neepawa site is being relocated, with current trials being maintained and future trials (including 2003) being established at the new site in Rosebank.  The fourth testing site is operated by the Parkland Crop Diversification Foundation and is located in Roblin. This will be the first year that Roblin data has been included in the Forage Cultivar Report.

There are a number of Western Forage (WF) tests located at each site containing a combination of legume and grass trials, which were harvested this past season.  A brief summary of this years harvest is as follows:  In Arborg, Neepawa and St.Pierre WF Alfalfa trials seeded in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 were harvested, with the exception of the 1999 Alfalfa trial in St. Pierre which was finished last season.  Arborg and St.Pierre reported two cuts from their alfalfa trials, with only one cut from Neepawa.  Roblin reported a one cut harvest from the 2002 Alfalfa trial.  WF Alfalfa tests completed this year included the 1999 and 2000 trials. To finish off the legume test summary for 2003, a one cut harvest from the WF 2002 Cicer Milkvetch test was reported from Arborg, Roblin and St.Pierre.  Arborg, St.Pierre, and Neepawa took one cut from their 99 WF Grass test consisting of Bromegrass, Crested Wheatgrass and Kentucky Bluegrass.  This harvest completed a few three-year tests including the Bromegrass trial in Arborg and Neepawa, as well as the Crested Wheatgrass test in Arborg.  These three sites also reported one harvest from each of the 2001 Smooth and Meadow Bromegrass tests.  Orchardgrass tests were also harvested this year including a 2001 WF trial in Neepawa and St.Pierre, as well as a 2002 WF test at all four sites.  Two complete three-year tests including 1999 and 2000 WF Timothy were finished this year in Arborg, Neepawa, and St.Pierre.  And finally to finish up this year’s harvest one cut was taken from the 2001 WF Timothy test in Arborg and the 2002 Timothy test in both Arborg and Neepawa.

Weather had some harsh effects on this years variety test sites, as well as the rest of the province.  A cold winter with little snow cover increased the incidence of winterkill, which was seen in the WF 1999 Red and Alsike Clover tests located in Arborg and Neepawa.  A spring with little moisture followed, which seemed to delay crops, as well as make establishment difficult, especially in Arborg and Neepawa.  However, a few timely rains allowed two trials to be established including a Tall Fescue (2 varieties) and alfalfa (10 varieties) trial.  Drought like conditions throughout the summer decreased yield potential in all tests resulting in lower yields compared to recent years.  St.Pierre experienced the least weather effects having received about 6 inches of rain by mid June, however this moisture was needed as they to experienced drier than normal conditions throughout the remainder of the summer. 

Results for individual trials and cultivars can be obtained in the 2003 Manitoba Forage Variety Evaluation Report. 

Also through this project and with supporting data from this year’s harvest a number of varieties were recommended for registration, which included the following:

Alfalfa Varieties:

• R922

• R923

• 4241

Red Clover Varieties:

• Vivi

Conclusion:

There are numerous benefits of incorporating forages into a farming operation such as increasing productivity of marginal land, having a viable commodity to sell in both the domestic and export market, increasing the livestock herd through increased hay and pasture capacity, as well as the benefits of incorporating forages in crop rotation, which are well documented.  One of the most important factors to utilizing forages is to be able to determine the appropriate variety and characteristics, which are most desirable to an individual’s farming operation.  Data collected from these tests is a valuable tool that can increase the amount of information available to producers, assisting them in the decision-making process.  This information can be used to maximize the economic and agronomic benefits of an operation in a highly competitive industry.

Acknowledgements:

This project was made possible due to funding from the following:

• Agri-Food Research and Development Initiative
• Covering New Ground - Agricultural Sustainability Initiative
• Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives
• Manitoba Forage Council
• Forage Seed Industry Partners.

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