Ryegrass Production Field
Post Harvest Irrigation Shows No Increase In Yields
Posted in General by Curtis Williams
In the past few years, as Perennial Ryegrass and Tall Fescue varieties got denser and more compact in the production fields, growers started watering them after harvest in hopes of re-invigorating the plants and improving the yield potential for the following year.
Researchers at Oregon State University have recently published multiple years of trial data that shows there is no yield increase when irrigating Perennial Ryegrass and Tall Fescue seed crops after harvest and before fall rains.
In the study, researchers applied irrigation water to different cultivars of Perennial Ryegrass and Tall Fescue in wet and dry years, and at varying rates. While stand persistence improved in some conditions, not once were the following summer’s yields increased over stands with no irrigation.