<< Choose Another Crop Select Variety:     Go
Orchardgrass (Dactylis sp )
Crop Information
Description:
  • medium to long-lived perennial bunchgrass
  • deep, dense, fibrous root system growing in clumps when not heavily grazed
  • long, folded, light green, mainly basal leaves
  • flower stem 90 to 150 cm tall bearing a tufted panicle-type seed head 8 to 15 cm long
  • reproduces sexually (by seed formation) and asexually (by tillering); tillering is continuous and tillers from single tuft or bunch will be at many stages of development

    •  
    Uses:
  • use in Alberta is increasing as new varieties with better winter hardiness become available and its potential for hay and pasture production is realized
  • responds to high levels of fertility
  • a high yielding grass species well adapted to hay production as pure stands or in a mixture with alfalfa
  • regrows quickly to yield more than one crop or cutting per year
  • starts to grow fairly early in the spring
  • an excellent grass for grazing if managed properly
  • will be preferentially grazed by livestock in mixed stands
  • for grazing, orchardgrass mixtures and pure stands should be fenced separately, stocked at a high density to achieve a quick and even harvest and not grazed below 10 cm
  • the most shade tolerant and one of the most digestible and palatable grass species

    •  
    Areas of Adaptation:
  • grows best on moist, highly fertile, well drained soils
  • very responsive to good management practices
  • adapted to the warmer areas of the Gray Wooded Soils and the Black Soils receiving more than 45 cm of precipitation (Areas 3 and 4) and irrigation
  • moderately winter hardy, the lack of winter hardiness limits the areas of adaptation
  • once established orchardgrass will withstand short periods of drought (tolerance is between that of timothy and smooth bromegrass)
  • moderately tolerant of acid conditions
  • moderately tolerant of saline conditions
  • will not tolerate alkaline conditions
  • will not tolerate flooding or soils that remain saturated for any length of time

    •  

    Orchardgrass Distributor(s):
      BrettYoung,  Northstar Seed,  Pickseed Canada Inc,  Sunshine Seeds Ltd.,  Viterra/Proven Seed

    Characteristics
    Performance:

    2008 Orchardgrass

          Yield comparison as % of Kay

    Irrigation

    Area 3

    Area 5

    Variety
    Bow Island
    Brooks
    Leth-bridge
    Area Mean
    Ellerslie
    La-combe
    Olds
    Area Mean
    Falher
    High Prairie
    Area Mean
    AC Nordic
    99
    99
    -
    99
    99
    108
    100
    101
    100
    88
    94
    AC Splendor
    97
    98
    -
    98
    96
    109
    109
    103
    97
    88
    92
    Arctic
    90
    100
    -
    95
    93
    115
    116
    107
    102
    84
    93
    Early Arctic
    -
    100
    110
    105
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    Kay
    100
    100
    100
    100
    100
    100
    100
    100
    100
    100
    100
    OKAY
    99
    99
    -
    99
    94
    98
    101
    98
    105
    93
    99
    Yield of Kay
    lb/ac
    9695
    11690
    7945
    9575
    6860
    5700
    6350
    6100
    3490
    3665
    3865
    kg/ha
    10855
    13090
    8895
    10725
    7680
    6385
    7110
    6830
    3910
    4105
    4330

    Adapted to Areas - 3, 4, 5 & Irrigation. Used for hay or pasture, regrows quickly and is highly platable, may winter kill under severe condtions.

     

    << Choose Another Crop Select Variety:     Go

    Last Modified: January 25, 2008
    For more information about the content of this document, contact Ag-Info Centre