The effects of site and season on the yield and nutritive value of cultivars and half-sib families of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)
K. F. Smith A C , R. J. Simpson B and R. N. Oram BA Department of Primary Industries, Pastoral and Veterinary Institute, Private Bag 105, Hamilton, Vic. 3300, Australia.
B CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
C Author for correspondence; e-mail: kevin.f.smith@dpi.vic.gov.au
Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 44(8) 763-769 https://doi.org/10.1071/EA03067
Submitted: 20 March 2003 Accepted: 13 November 2003 Published: 17 September 2004
Abstract
The effects of site and season on the nutritive value of 16 perennial ryegrass cultivars and 60 half-sib families were assessed at 2 locations in South West Victoria. Crude protein, water-soluble carbohydrates, neutral detergent fibre and in vitro digestibility were measured on vegetative herbage, harvested in either autumn or spring. While no heritable genetic variation for nutritive value parameters was detected in this set of families, consistent differences in the nutritive value of cultivars were measured across sites and seasons. The cultivars Yatsyn1 and Ellett were consistently high in both water-soluble carbohydrates and in vitro digestibility. The differences in mean nutritive value between high and low ranking cultivars were ~40 g/kg water-soluble carbohydrates and 3–5% in vitro digestibility. These consistent differences in forage quality demonstrate the value of measuring forage quality during cultivar evaluation. The identification of cultivars with improved nutritive value will also facilitate the crossing of the alleles that confer this improvement into other genetic backgrounds.
Acknowledgments
This research was performed while Kevin Smith was the recipient of a postgraduate scholarship from the Australian Dairy Research and Development Corporation.
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