xt74qr4nmk89 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt74qr4nmk89/data/mets.xml   Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station.  journals kaes_circulars_004_606 English Lexington : The Service, 1913-1958. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 606 text Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 606  2014 true xt74qr4nmk89 section xt74qr4nmk89 — if _,   QF`.;
       R
     
45*%;;* #?‘f¥* wa J»·% ·’*‘¥i'L¢§L
‘3qsi»:”i$)   J >
  \      
;T<*@?   L ww    KJFITWQAIL
W          
V ,-4 ga: I J%;;'rjX%”?g§ _ rl `—    
. ’”L `§¥;¥·;~·>`?7?f¥2’»§$*&'   ; ,    
3   5 \ X R $3 [ L  
"‘   x- ~ _ I; {_.¢?’~ _ / 
w /~»  
ZE \   9  ,  M;. L! :5* · »‘\~.
. gw 4 M , , ;
‘ ¤-· AY   "jré? \   W ' § `.`
` rg `Nifg `\ RL:. °/” YY V TUE   I
s       A H 4 A
3;       i_xMp»,— {
      L  ’   W  »
” R ’w»\‘\!¢¤W ‘     *>  
3   · `II   "   [,7 \`  
" {jx V M"   (    A  *€Y~’  Q
5 QL `K BM    “ A \_L
‘ E   wi/\ r   , Lx
A 3   Lei   r'/Z2  
  ,9 4; Q   ‘/M   gx/Ei;//s `·\ N
l I Ig L       · r\ XI `;`U·%f’ __: A/-V; V"/§_‘,·'/f Y X `T  
L? Vj//V  //   I      ’ ,\j§:L`;;,   X  
,2;   {   ‘ w /» » IIN ·’*>/**¢%}x /
‘ -       M (/1,*. ·a},¤,v   R L
’ ‘ 5 Y"` WM M WM N   ‘%  E §;  
- \\   \   Vp; U ` :.{»  ~ =*
A A Q2 \ W   ‘~`   if ’//Wx \ L `M R
’ TZ /<*<»> · ·,       "~ M
ni ‘ ` `M *,>f/iw Y ,"' L V
A L é  /      Us    3
.     /'- `*._ *`   It · ll Wx},   _` K
U { /I,/`  ·‘     L4 \1' ¤
I *2 V r—     <‘_ I _’r     ’ YR  \ . ` rl `
,   L ”  .2 »   W V N **‘~ U.     T
» UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY • Lexangton
 

 
 Boone Orchordgross
CHARACTERISTICS AND MANAGEMENT‘
» Robert C. Buckner, W. H. Stroube, ond P. B. Burrus, IP
Although orchardgrass is a native of Europe, it has been in the
United States since colonial times. It was introduced into Kentucky
from Virginia about 1830 and a short time later seed was produced
’ on a commercial basis in Oldham county, Kentucky, for the first time
in the United States.
Orchardgrass is an important pasture, hay and silage crop through-
out central United States. It is a high-yielding, palatable, nutritious
- grass that grows well in mixtures with other grasses and legumes.
Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri are the major seed-producing
states. The annual production for these three states is from 10 to 15
_ million pounds of clean seed per year. Almost all the seed produced
in this area is of unimproved domestic origin. The United States
imports between 5 and 7 million pounds of seed annually from Europe.
Tests in Kentucky have shown that domestic seed grown for many
generations in the state is superior in general adaptation, yield, and
' persistence in stand, to seed imported from Europe and also to most
named varieties.
‘ . The Boone variety was developed cooperatively by the Kentucky
. Agricultural Experiment Station and the Crops Research Division,
- ARS, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The variety was developed to
provide a known source of seed of a well adapted variety for Kentucky
‘ and surrounding states.
DESCRIPTION
The Boone variety was developed by mass selection of plants from
naturalized strains that traced to farms in the orchardgrass-seed—pro-
ducing area of Kentucky. The strains had been grown ou these farms
1Cooperative investigations at Lexington, Kentucky, of the Crops Research
. Division, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and
the Department of Agronomy, University of Kentucky Agricultural Experiment
I 5mUgnResearel1 Agronomist and Associate Professor; Associate Professor; and
(Agent) Agronomist (Research Assistant), Crops Research Division, Agricultural
Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and University of Kentucky
Agricultural Experiment Station, respectively.
3

 a minimum of 15 years. Stands of 25 strains were established 0n the V
Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station farm and subjected t0 in-
tensive clipping treatments for 3 years. Approximately 400 superior,
surviving plants were selected from the 7 highest yielding strains, The
4()() selected plants were polycrossed under isolation. Equal amounts
of seed from each of the 400 plant selections were blended and used
to establish a breeder seed block. Seed from the breeder seed block
was evaluated and later formed the Boone variety. 4
Boone has been evaluated in Kentucky and throughout most of
the United States in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Regional
Crass Testing Program.
Although the Boone variety is equal or superior to naturalized and
named varieties in relatively new stands (Table 1), it is particularly · ·
outstanding when compared in old stands (Table 2). The yield data
presented in Tables 1 and 2 were obtained from stands on fertile
soils normally considered to be well suited to good growth of `
orchardgrass.
Table `l.—-Relative yields of dry matter expressed in percentage of Boone of q
varieties and Danish commercial orchardgrass at different locations in Kentucky.
Figures are based on 3-year average yields. .
 
Location of Tests
Variety; Lexington, Ky. Woodford Co. Princeton, Ky. Mean
Boone ...................................... 100 100 100 100.0
Ky. Select ..,............................. 101 98 94 97.7 ·
Potomzie ................................ 87 92 87 88.7
lbnisli .................................... 67 30 74 57.0
L. S. D. at 0.05 .................... 6 1 6 ·
L. S. D. ;i 0.01 .................... 8 2 8 ·
1Ky. Select is a naturalized variety from jefferson county, Kentucky. V
Table 2.-—Yields in pounds of dry matter per acre of orchardgrass varieties . 1
established in 1957, 1958, and `l96`l on the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment .
Station farm, Lexington, Ky.
’ ;j,.LTf,;Z'1L  
Year of Harvest ·
Yarieiy; 7 rr rr 77 érrri 1961 1 1961 2 1965 3
Boone .................................................. 4,137 4,623 2,598
Ky. Select ............................................ 3,755 4,261 1,937
Potomac ,............................................. 3,987 4,392 ........
Dgngg; ....... ».;.;.; ............................ 3,657 3,826 664
L. S. D. at 0.05 ...... . ........................... 76 86 697 _
L. S. Dggt 0.01 .; ................................ 102 117 979
1 Test seeded in 1957. .
2 Test seeded in 1958.
ii Test seeded in 1959.
-1

 Boone was not selected for resistance to diseases; however, the
variety is superior to both Ky. Select, a naturalized variety, and Danish
commercial orchardgrass for leaf rust resistance (Table 3).
The performance of Boone in other states indicates that the variety
is well adapted throughout much of the area where orchardgrass is
grown for forage purposes.
Table 3 — Susceptibility to leaf rust of varieties and Danish commercial
orchardgrass at different locations in Kentucky.
Location of Testsl ~
·  
Boone ................................................ 5.4 3.8 4.0
Ky. Select ........................................ 6.1 6.1 6.5
Potomac ............................................ 3.9 2.2 3.0
Danish .............................................. 5.9 .... 5.0
L. S. D. at 0.05 ................................   1.8 1.1
L. S.D. at 0.01 ................................   2.5 1.5
l lzmost; 7:le:1st resistance.
MANAGEMENT AND UTILIZATION
The management and utilization of the Boone variety are com-
parable to those for other orchardgrass.
. Although the variety is less exacting in soil requirements than
timothy and Kentucky bluegrass and will succeed on light soil of
. medium fertility; best performance is obtained on soils that have
- been properly treated (based on soils tests) to correct any deficiencies
4 _ of lime, phosphorus, and potassium.
The variety should be seeded on a firm, well-prepared seedbed
_ ‘ and the seed covered lightly. Fall and spring seedings are equally
· effective for obtaining good stands. The variety should be seeded at
the rate of 1() to 14 pounds per acre when seeded alone and at the rate
. of 5 to 10 pounds per acre when sown in association with legmnes.
Best stands are obtained when 30 to 4() pounds per acre of elemental
nitrogen is applied broadcast just prior to or at the time of seeding.
One or more legumes should be seeded with Boone when it is to
be used for hay or pasture. Legumes normally seeded with orchard-
grass are common and Ladino white clover; Korean and Kobe
- lespedeza; alfalfa; red and alsike clover. Certified seed of adapted
varieties of legmnes should be seeded.
I If the Boone variety is seeded in late summer or early fall, it will
provide pasture the following year. Successful management of grass-
legume combinations requires heavy stocking in early spring to pre-
5

 vent the grass from being too competitive with the legume. Orchard- i
grass develops rapidly in the early spring and tends to produce seed
heads even though it is stocked heavily. Prompt clipping will help
maintain the grass in a palatable, nutritious condition.
Legumes tend to disappear from orchardgrass stands for various
reasons even under the best of management conditions. Maintenance
of legumes in orchardgrass pastures is important for best animal per-
formance. \¢Vhen legumes disappear from the stand they may be re- f
established by renovation of the grass sod. The following practices
will help re-establish the legumes: (1) correct the soil fertility (based
on soil test) by fertilizing to maintain medium-to-high levels of
phosphorus (P:O;) and potassium (K2O) and a pH of from 6.0 to
7.0;   graze or clip the grass closely;   disk or cultivate to destroy »
one-third to one-half of the sod; and (4) inoculate the legume seed
and distribute it evenly over the field, then cover the seed lightly.
Early spring (late February—early March) seedings generally are 1
more satisfactory for securing good stands of legumes because severe . _
droughts frequently are encountered in the fall. The grass should be
grazed moderately during the spring to prevent undue competition to
the legumc.
SEED PRODUCTION
The seed production capability of Boone has not been compared
under test conditions with that of other orchardgrass varieties or with _
domestic orchardgrass. The average production during 1965 of clean
seed in Kentucky for domestic orchardgrass was 260 pounds per acre. V
The average production of clean seed of the Boone variety during `
1965 was 201 pounds per acre; however, one 18—acre field of Boone i
produced 408 pounds per acre of clean seed. Thus, it is unlikely that .·
Boone is different from domestic orchardgrass in seed production _
capability. .
llighest seed yields are obtained from pure stands of orchardgrass. .
Mixing legumes with orchardgrass often decreases seed yields. Light
rates of broadcast seeding are frequently superior to heavy rates and
row seedings are superior to broadcast seedings. Bates of 3 to 5 pounds
per acre in rows and 8 to 1() pounds per acre broadcast should pro-
vide adequate stands for seed production. Medium-to—high soil fertil-
ity levels (preferably based on soil tests) of PEO; and KEO and a
pil of between 6.0 and 7.0 should be maintained for optimum seed .
yields. Topdress with 45 to 60 pounds per acre of elemental nitrogen
in late February or early March. Nitrogen applied at this rate after ‘
March 15 causes lodging and excessive vegetative growth at the
6

 expense of seed yields. After seed harvest, mow to a height of 3 or 4
inches, remove excess growth and graze moderately until early winter.
Until recently, the orchardgrass seed crop was harvested with a
grain binder, tied in small bundles, and shocked in the field until dry.
The crop was harvested when a few seeds would shatter when the
seed heads were struck across the hand. The grain binder has been
largely replaced by the combine on the majority of farms. Combine
harvesting of orchardgrass seed presents serious difficulties because
A of losses from shattering. This problem may be overcome somewhat
by cutting the grass at about the time it is normally harvested with a
binder and windrowing it in a rather wide, thin swath. The grass
_ should be cut above the foliage and placed on top of the stubble to
achieve maximum drying. VVhen the seed heads have cured, the grass
can be picked up from the swath by a pickup attachment on the
combine and threshed.
CHEMICAL CONTROL OF WEEDS IN THE SEED CROPB
Recommendations for the control of broadleaf weeds in orchard-
` grass stands may be obtained from U.K. Coop. Extension Misc. 113,
“Chemical Control of \Veeds in Farm Crops in Kentucky.” For the
safety of the operator and to prevent damage to cultivated crops and
plants, all precautions rnentioncd in Misc. 113, as well as those of the
. marnrfacturers of the herbicides, should be observed.
Cheat seedlings and red sorrel, troublesome weeds that commonly
. occur in orchardgrass seed fields, are not controlled with 2, 4-D.
` Dicamba (Banvel-D 415) gives good cheat and sheep sorrel control
I when applied at the rates of 2 quarts (2 pounds active) and 1 quart
l` (1 pound active), respectively, in :20 gallons of water per acre.
_ Apply the herbicide during early April before the orchardgrass
· has reached the boot stage of maturity. Treatment during the boot
- stage or after flower heads emerge may result in lowered seed yields
audror quality. Dicamba (Banvel—D) has not been approved for use
on feed and forage crops; consequently, livestock should not be
permitted to graze or feed on the forage, aftermath, straw or
threshings of orclrardgrass sprayed with this herbicide.
Seed fields of Boone. to qualify for certification. must be isolated
from other orchardgrass. Normally, this can bc done by clean culti-
· vation of land in adjoining fields or by mowing other orehardgrass to
1 Il'I`() Sllllpllliy lIll()I`IlllIII()I1 III   pIlI)II(`2lfl()I], II'(I(I(' l1iIlII|'S (III $()lll(' l}Ii()(IlI(`I5
are used. No errdorserncnt is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar pr