1994-95 PERFORMANCE OF FORAGE CROP VARIETIES

This Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Information Bulletin is a summary of forage research conducted at locations shown on page ii and is intended for the use of colleagues, cooperators, and sponsors. The interpretation of the data presented herein may change after additional experimentation. Information included herein is not to be construed either as a recommendation for use or as an endorsement of a specific variety or product by Mississippi State University or the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

New, improved and standard varieties of forage crops are evaluated in MAFES small plot trials each year. Seed for the trials are obtained from commercial seed companies and state universities and tested at a number of locations in Mississippi. All entries from privately owned companies are tested on a fee basis. The Forage Crop Evaluation Committee may enter varieties of interest or proven varieties to be used as standards. This report contains data collected in 1994-95 on the performance of annual ryegrass, tall fescue, bermudagrass, alfalfa, clovers, forage sorghums, and tropical corn. A randomized complete block design with three to four replications, depending on location, was used. These data were analyzed within locations and within harvest dates. The number of harvests during the season varied by location because of different planting dates and growing conditions.

This report contains data gathered as part of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and USDA-ARS Forage Research Unit research program. Joint sponsorship by the organizations listed on pages 24 and 25 is gratefully acknowledged.

MISSISSIPPI FORAGE CROP VARIETY TRIALS AUTHORS, 1995

 
          Ned C. Edwards       Superintendent, South Mississippi Branch 

          Joe E. Askew         Manager, Variety Evaluations
 
          William B. Burdine   Research Assistant, Pontotoc Branch
 
          Greg Cuomo           Assistant Agronomist, LSU Southeast Research Station

          Robert Elmore        Research Assistant I, Department of Agronomy
 
          Carl H. Hovermale    Agronomist, South Mississippi Branch
 
          David M. Ingram      Assistant Agronomist, Brown Loam Branch
         
          Rosco Ivy            Agronomist, Prairie Research Unit
 
          Billy Johnson        Research Assistant I, Coastal Plain Branch
 
          David Lang           Associate Professor and Associate Agronomist,  Department of Agronomy
     
          Gary A. Pederson     Research Geneticist, USDA-ARS Forage Research Unit

          Jim Tomlinson        Professor - Nutritionist, Department of Animal and Dairy Science
 

Commercial and public varieties tested in this research project (trade names, experiment code names or numbers, etc.) and source of seed are listed on pages 24 and 25.

This publication was prepared and tables designed by Elsie Aycock, secretary for the South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station. Recognition is given to David Kilbern, computer programmer, Agricultural Administrative Computing for computing assistance.

Description

Ryegrasses



Performance of Ryegrasses
Pontotoc Research and Extension Center, Pontotoc, MS
Coastal Plains Branch Station, Newton, MS
Brown Loam Branch Station, Raymond, MS 
South Mississippi Branch Station, Poplarville, MS


Fescue 



Performance of Fescue
Prairie Research Unit, Prairie, MS
Mississippi State, Starkville, MS
Brown Loam Branch Station, Raymond, MS


Alfalfa


Performance of Alfalfa
South MS Branch Station, Poplarville, MS


White clover


Performance of Clover and Lespedeza
Mississippi State, Starkville, MS
          

Annual Clover


South Mississippi Branch Station, Poplarville, MS


Lespedeza


Prairie Research Unit, Prairie, MS


Bermudagrass


Performance of Bermudagrasses
Pontotoc Research and Extension Center, Pontotoc, MS
Mississippi State, Starkville, MS
Brown Loam Branch Station, Raymond, MS
South MS Branch Station, Poplarville, MS


Tropical Corn and Forage Sorghum


Performance of Tropical Corn and Forage Sorghum
Mississippi State, Starkville, MS
Coastal Plains Branch Station, Newton, MS
South MS Branch Station, Poplarville, MS


Seed Source 



   
Ryegrass Source
   
Fescue Source
 
   
White Clover and Alfalfa Source
   
Tropical Corn and Forage Sorghum Seed Source