Abstract
Abstract Stockpiling, an agricultural practice that extends the grazing season into the winter by accumulating growth of standing forage during the growing season, is practiced successfully in numerous regions of the world. The objectives of this 2‐year experiment were to determine, for tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), the effects of spring‐summer defoliation and autumn‐winter environmental conditions on the quantity and quality of forage available during the autumn and winter. Three sets of plots were defoliated during the spring and summer at 4, 8, and 10‐week intervals so that the last defoliation occurred on 9 August of each year. A different subplot of each set of preconditioned plots was then harvested at approximately weekly intervals through November. An additional set of preconditioned plots (8‐week defoliation treatment) were harvested at approximately weekly intervals from the end of November into February. The soil was a fine, montmorillonitic, mesic Udollic Ochraqualfs. More frequent defoliations (4 weeks vs. 8 to 10 weeks) reduced the yield of dry matter in the springsummer period by 30 to 40%, but had no effect on autumn yields. Forage from frequently defoliated plots was of higher quality during the spring and summer than less frequently harvested plots, but frequency of defoliation did not affect the quality of autumn stockpiled fescue and had little effect on autumn yields. Dry matter production in the autumn was directly related to the autumn‐accumulated rainfall (Y = 52.7 + 62.1 X, r = 0.988 for 1971 and Y = —1068 + 163.6 X, r = 0.934 for 1972). Freezing temperatures in early November stopped autumn growth at about 1,000 kg/ha in 1971 and 1,800 kg/ha in 1972. After freezing temperatures, there was a 25 kg/ha/week decrease in harvestable dry matter. The crude protein content decreased steadily throughout the autumn‐winter period, and after growth stopped the rate of decrease averaged about 0.1 percentage unit/week. The in vitro dry matter digestibility of stockpiled fescue remained fairly constant (63 to 68%) from September to early November. After growth was stopped by freezing temperatures in November, digestibility decreased about 1.0 percentage unit/week. The potassium content of the autumn‐grown forage decreased at a linear rate of about 0.1 percentage unit/week throughout most of the autumn‐winter period and, in 1971‐72, decreased to levels considered below the minimum requirements of ruminants.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Four-week defoliation reduced spring-summer dry matter yield by 30 to 40%.
- Taxon
- Tall Fescue
Lolium arundinaceumt0 - Treatment
- 4 weekse0
- Outcome
- yield of dry mattere0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 30 to 40%e0
- Comparator
- 8 to 10 weekse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“More frequent defoliations (4 weeks vs. 8 to 10 weeks) reduced the yield of dry matter in the springsummer period by 30 to 40%”
t0“Tall Fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Defoliation frequency did not affect autumn yield.
- Taxon
- Tall FescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Outcome
- autumn yieldse0
- Direction
- no effecte0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“but had no effect on autumn yields”
t0“Tall Fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Frequently defoliated spring and summer forage had higher quality.
- Taxon
- Tall FescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Treatment
- frequently defoliated plotse0
- Outcome
- qualitye0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- less frequently harvested plotse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Forage from frequently defoliated plots was of higher quality during the spring and summer than less frequently harvested plots”
t0“Tall Fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Defoliation frequency did not affect autumn stockpiled forage quality.
- Taxon
- fescuee0
- Treatment
- frequency of defoliatione0
- Outcome
- quality of autumn stockpiled fescuee0
- Direction
- did not affecte0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“frequency of defoliation did not affect the quality of autumn stockpiled fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Autumn dry matter production rose with accumulated rainfall.
- Taxon
- Tall FescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Treatment
- autumn‐accumulated rainfalle0
- Outcome
- Dry matter production in the autumne0
- Direction
- directly relatede0
Not reportedSetting
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Dry matter production in the autumn was directly related to the autumn‐accumulated rainfall (Y = 52.7 + 62.1 X, r = 0.988 for 1971 and Y = —1068 + 163.6 X, r = 0.934 for 1972)”
t0“Tall Fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Early November freezing stopped autumn growth at 1,000 kg/ha in 1971.
- Taxon
- Tall FescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Treatment
- Freezing temperaturese0
- Outcome
- autumn growthe0
- Direction
- stoppede0
- Value
- 1,000 kg/hae0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Freezing temperatures in early November stopped autumn growth at about 1,000 kg/ha in 1971”
t0“Tall Fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Early November freezing stopped autumn growth at 1,800 kg/ha in 1972.
- Taxon
- Tall FescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Treatment
- Freezing temperaturese0
- Outcome
- autumn growthe0
- Direction
- stoppede0
- Value
- 1,800 kg/hae0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Freezing temperatures in early November stopped autumn growth at about 1,000 kg/ha in 1971 and 1,800 kg/ha in 1972”
t0“Tall Fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Harvestable dry matter fell 25 kg/ha/week after freezing.
- Taxon
- Tall FescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Outcome
- harvestable dry mattere0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Value
- 25 kg/ha/weeke0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“After freezing temperatures, there was a 25 kg/ha/week decrease in harvestable dry matter”
t0“Tall Fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Crude protein content decreased about 0.1 percentage unit/week after growth stopped.
- Taxon
- Tall FescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Outcome
- rate of decreasee0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Value
- 0.1 percentage unit/weeke0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“after growth stopped the rate of decrease averaged about 0.1 percentage unit/week”
t0“Tall Fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Stockpiled fescue digestibility stayed at 63 to 68% through early November.
Verbatim
e0“The in vitro dry matter digestibility of stockpiled fescue remained fairly constant (63 to 68%) from September to early November”
Claim · model-written summary
Digestibility fell about 1.0 percentage unit/week after November freezing.
- Taxon
- Tall FescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Outcome
- digestibilitye0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 1.0 percentage unit/weeke0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“digestibility decreased about 1.0 percentage unit/week”
t0“Tall Fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Autumn-grown forage potassium content declined about 0.1 percentage unit/week.
- Taxon
- Tall FescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Outcome
- potassium content of the autumn‐grown foragee0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 0.1 percentage unit/weeke0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The potassium content of the autumn‐grown forage decreased at a linear rate of about 0.1 percentage unit/week”
t0“Tall Fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Potassium content in 1971–72 dropped below ruminant minimum requirements.
- Taxon
- Tall FescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Outcome
- levels considered below the minimum requirements of ruminantse0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in 1971‐72, decreased to levels considered below the minimum requirements of ruminants”
t0“Tall Fescue”
The same questions in other papers
pruning · quality: general · Lolium arundinaceum (tall fescue)Positive and negative results
3 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- no effect
4 papers more in this group
See all 8 papers →cold · growth · Lolium arundinaceum (tall fescue)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- negative
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.