Detailed Explanation of Key Ryegrass Sowing and Management Techniques
Ryegrass, Latin scientific name: Lolium perenne L., a plant of the grass family (Poaceae) and the genus Lolium, about 10 species, including forage grasses and pasture grasses of the temperate regions of Eurasia as well as some poisonous weeds. Ryegrass is an important cultivated forage grass and green manure crop. This genus has about 10 species, and China has 7 species. Among them, perennial ryegrass (L. perenne) and Italian ryegrass (L. multiflorum) are cultivated forage grasses of economic value. At present, New Zealand, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom widely cultivate them as forage for cattle and sheep. They are excellent forage grasses commonly introduced and cultivated in various places. They grow in meadow pastures and are commonly seen in roadside wetlands. They are widely distributed in the Kashmir region, Pakistan, Europe, the warm temperate zone of Asia, and northern Africa. As of statistics up to 2004, there were more than 20 varieties of ryegrass worldwide, and the two with the highest economic value and the most widespread cultivation are perennial ryegrass and Italian ryegrass.
Growth Characteristics of Ryegrass
Ryegrass has well-developed fibrous roots, but they do not go deep into the soil; it grows in clumps and tillers profusely. The 1000-grain weight of the seed is about 2 grams. Ryegrass prefers warm, moist soil, and the suitable soil pH is 6—7. When the day-night temperature is 12℃—27℃, this grass has strong regrowth ability. Strong light, short daylight and lower temperatures are favorable for tillering, while shading is unfavorable for the growth of ryegrass. Ryegrass is moisture-tolerant, but poor drainage or an excessively high groundwater table is unfavorable for its growth. It can provide a relatively large amount of green feed in a short time and is a good grass resource for livestock and poultry in spring and autumn.
Key Points of Ryegrass Sowing and Management
1. The key to selecting improved varieties.
For planting ryegrass, excellent varieties such as “Oregon” and “Ganxuan No. 1” should be selected, as they have soft fresh leaf blades, strong feeding appeal, good palatability, wide adaptability and strong regrowth and tillering ability. High-quality seeds that have undergone mechanical selection should also be used for sowing, so as to facilitate uniform and strong seedlings. 2. The key to timely sowing.
Ryegrass has strong regrowth ability. Timely sowing not only facilitates uniform and strong seedlings, but can also increase the number of green cuttings, thereby favoring high yield. For autumn sowing, mid-to-late September is generally the best time, and sowing should be completed by late October at the latest. Sowing too early is not advisable, because sowing too early with excessively high temperatures is unfavorable for emergence. 3. The key to sowing quality.
Before sowing, the land should be finely prepared and sufficient base fertilizer applied. Generally, 500-750 kg of decomposed human manure and urine and 15-20 kg of NPK compound fertilizer per mu are applied as base fertilizer. At sowing time, the soil should not have standing water, nor should it be excessively dry, otherwise germination will be affected. If the soil is excessively dry, horse-race water should be irrigated before sowing to moisten the soil; fields with serious standing water should have their ditches cleared for drainage. For single-crop rice fields or idle fields, drilling is generally the main method, with a row spacing of 20-30 cm, and a sowing depth of about 2 cm is best. For double-crop rice fields, sowing should be done 7-10 days before harvest. Before sowing, first mix the seeds evenly with river mud and then broadcast them. After sowing, lightly strike the rice plants with small bamboo poles so that all the ryegrass seeds scattered on the rice plants fall to the ground. The sowing rate per mu is best at 1-1.5 kg; if the seed quality is poor, the sowing rate may be appropriately increased to promote uniform emergence. 4. The key to seedling-stage management.
After emergence, apply 400-500 kg of decomposed dilute human manure and urine plus 4-5 kg of urea per mu as a seedling fertilizer to promote rapid growth of the young seedlings. In addition, after each green cutting, apply 3-5 kg of urea dissolved in water as a topdressing once. Generally, when the seedlings are 30-40 cm tall, they can be cut for green feed, and they can be cut 4-5 times in their lifetime, but seedling fields must not be cut more than 2 times, otherwise the yield of the seedling field will be seriously affected.