The suitability of cool-and warm-season annual cereal species for winter grazing in Saskatchewan

W. E. May^1*, L. H. Klein², G. P. Lafond¹, J. T. McConnell³ and S. M. Phelps⁴

Abstract
Winter grazing is a practice that can reduce feeding cost for cattle production. Current production has been utilizing traditional cool-season cereals for winter grazing. Warmseason (C4) cereals also have the potential to be adapted to winter grazing in Saskatchewan.

The objective of this study was to evaluate cool and warm season annual cereal species for adaptation, quality, and dry matter production in annual fall and winter grazing systems.

Two seeding dates, nine treatments and two harvest times were used at sites across Saskatchewan over 3 yr. The crops in this trial have significant differences in maturity and dry matter yield. Seeding date did not consistently affect dry matter yield. Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] and sorghum-sudangrass [Sorghum bicolor (L.) /S. arundinaceum (Desv.) Stapf var. sudanense (Stapf) Hitchc.] had low dry matter yields and were poorly adapted to Saskatchewan. The proso millet (Panicum miliaceum) cultivar, Crown, and the foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) cultivars, Red Siberian and Golden German, had yields similar to oat (Avena sativa L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), but lower than high-input corn (Zea mays L.). Corn had dry matter yield that was similar to barley and oat but yield variability across sites and years was higher for corn.

Delaying the harvest lowered the protein concentration of all the crops except pearl millet and sorghum-sudangrass. There were significant changes in acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) due to a cultivar/harvest timing interaction.

Weathering in the windrow until December did not significantly reduce the quality of the forage. Golden German foxtail millet is well adapted for swath grazing in eastern Saskatchewan. More data are required to determine its adaptability in central and western Saskatchewan and the adaptability of corn in all of Saskatchewan.


Source
Canadian Journal of Plant Science (2007) 87: 739–752


Author Locations and Affiliations
(1) Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Indian Head Research Farm, P. O. Box 760, Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada S0G 2K0
(2) Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, P.O. Box 2003, Weyburn,
Saskatchewan, Canada S4H 2Z9
(3) Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, Box 3830 Thatcher Ave., Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan, Canada S7H 2H6
(4) Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, 1192,102 Street, North Battleford,
Saskatchewan, Canada S9A 1E9
* Corresponding author, E-mail mayb@agr.gc.ca


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Posted April 2008